Carbon Fiber or G10 for extremely lightweight blade?

t1mpani

t1mpani

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Howdy,
A friend of mine is interested in a non-steel neck knife just to have "something that can cut" when he's out cycling. Prolonged edge retention isn't a concern. I figured that I could probably shape out something for him, and I've seen a few "letter openers" and other similar items made out of G10 over the years. I was wondering if carbon fiber might be able to do the same job even a little better? For a start, it's lighter, and I thought the added strength might make it able to support a thinner edge that would have at least a limited ability to cut. Other than the respiration concerns, is there any reason not to pick CF over G10?

This has probably been covered but I couldn't come up with a combination of search words that wasn't way too general.

Thanks,
Warren
 
What about titanium?
I have seen it done before with g10 and CF, but have never used one.
 
titanium is non-magnetic, but not non-metallic.


I have made neck knives with both G10 and with Carbon Fiber (no steel).

G10 works much better for this. :thumbup:

Carbon Fiber seems to splinter/fracture when you get it thin.


My 0.02


Dan
 
I think Titanium would be cool as hell, but he specified non-metal.

Dan---I'll always take $0.02 from anyone who has "been there, done that."

Thanks much :)

Warren
 
Some makers (Dan, didn't you do a few of these a while back?) have made blades with a very thin layer of steel, just enough to form a cutting edge, sandwiched between something tough and lightweight like CF or G10.

That gives you real edgeholding, with hardly any weight.
Another idea that just occurred to me, would be to embed just enough steel to form the edge (like when you forge a high-carbon bit into a mild-steel axe head). Trickier to do, but even lighter than a full G10 and steel sandwich.
 
Micarta wouldnt work well in this application.. CF would be the way to go IMHO.. G10 would be a close 2nd..
 
Keith_H said:
Oh, I thought it was just non steel for weight concerns.
Click to expand...

He may well be secretly intending this for an "airplane knife" but I'll mention to him that he sure as hell doesn't want to be caught with it.

I'll ask him. The really thin steel in the middle is a neat idea........
 
t1mpani said:
He may well be secretly intending this for an "airplane knife" but I'll mention to him that he sure as hell doesn't want to be caught with it.

I'll ask him. The really thin steel in the middle is a neat idea........
Click to expand...

There is someone who does this...... I can't seem to think of it off the top of my head though.
 
Yes, I did a few of those....and had problems with delamination....so I stopped doing it.

The G10 stuff stuck great, but the fibermascus and carbon fiber stuff did not. :o




The King of G10 'trainers' (gotta get your lingo right guys....don't go around saying "airplane proof knife") :rolleyes:.....anyway, the King of G10 Trainers is by far Tom Krein. If you got any questions about 'em, or just want to get one, give him a call: 479-233-0508


Now....while it's true that a G10 knife will go through a metal detector just fine....it will NOT make it through an airport terminal screener testing for "density"....and your buddy will be "escorted" to a cold room down the hall. :eek:



I have a G10 knife of my own make and carry it with me as my back-up, SHTF, BOB, when-all-else-fails knife in my bag. It never sees the light of day...and hopefully never will !!

But I would never be foolish enough to try to get it on an airplane. :thumbdn:


Best of luck!

Dan
 
Yeah, um... other than as a trainer for a self-defense student... what exactly is the point (ho-ho) of a G10 or CF knife?

I have heard that bomb-squad guys and so forth may require a blade that's non-magnetic. Gotcha. Otherwise... :confused:
 
I think it's a just-in-case thing, really, but he doesn't want the weight of a steel knife bouncing on his neck as he runs. It's never really bothered me, but then I have a permanent dog tag callous so I may be a poor judge. :D
 
I personally think G-10 is the best for this role. I have made a BUNCH of them.

Why a G-10 knife? First they are SUPER light in weight. Second they are completely corrosion resistant. Third they take a VERY aggressive edge.

These are not utility blades they are a last ditch self defense tool. They are perfect to take on a jog, where weight and corrosion resistance can be very important. They are perfect for IWB in the summer, no need to worry about sweat!

I strongly suggest against trying to get one of these on an airplane... there are plenty of good tools that are completely legal that you can use for flying!! Its simply not worth the risk in my opinion. With that said I know that several of mine ride with Air Marshals...

THANKS Dan!

Tom
 
how bout some pics, Tom?



Here are some examples of what I've done in the past:


Orange/Black G10 laminated to a thin piece of O1

UltraLight1.jpg



And some Blue/Black G10 trainers of the same design

UltraLight0508-01.jpg





The thing to remember is that when you get down to grinding the bevels, you will be really thinning out the layers of the material. G10 holds together very well. I've had carbon fiber start to "fuzz" at the edges when it gets too thin.

If you look at the first pic I posted...you can see what I mean about the layers getting thin.


Dan
 
Here are some pics....

First up is a TK-8 Defender in G-10

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Next are a few Bulldogs in G-10.

attachment.php


Last is a WIP pic so you can see that I have actually made a few of these... :)

attachment.php


Enjoy!

Tom
 

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Very cool, guys --- also extremely humbling and dream-crushing, but cool all the same. ;) :D :D
 
i dont mean to hijack the thread, but i have a few questions, what type of grind works best on this material to get the best edge? do you use a flat or hollow grind? also, how do you sharpen them? and at what point do you know they wont get any sharper? ive never worked with g 10 but have worked with micarta, corian, and woods. are those chisel ground? one last question i promise, how did you get the o1 on the g10? did you make and ht the knife out of 01 then resin them together? hope i didnt ask to many questions, but these knives fascinate me.
 
also, what thickness is best for these applications, they look like 1/4 but i could be wrong, would 1/8 work of would it be too thin and flimsy?
 
I personally like the extra strength from 1/4" stock. I grind mine very similar to my regular knives, just leaving them slightly thicker.

Sharpening them is a bit different than a regular knife. a polished edge is not what you are looking for.

Tom
 
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