Folder Making Help?

larry1096

larry1096

Joined
Mar 7, 2002
Messages
181
I'm just getting geared up to start making a few knives again, and I'm hoping to make my first folders.

I'm thinking that a frame-lock will be the simplest design to get started on, and I'm wondering about materials to use for the frame. I'm figuring that I'm going to ruin lots of sheet material starting out, so I'd like to start with stainless sheet.

My questions are:
1-Am I looking for 316, 410 or ?
2-Is .125 a good size for a framelock?
3-What type of heat-treating will the stainless require?
4-If I end up using titanium, does it need to be heat-treated?

Sorry for the barrage of questions, but I truly appreciate any answers!

Thanks,

Larry
 
not sure if you've seen this yet, but Tom Anderson has written a frame-lock tutorial here.

i don't know very much else about making framelocks, but i'll answer what i can

2-Is .125 a good size for a framelock?
Click to expand...

it'll all be relative to the overall size of the knife, it's intended purpose, and your personal tastes. the design and fit of the pivot in relation to the locking surface is a lot more important than the thickness of the lock though

4-If I end up using titanium, does it need to be heat-treated?
Click to expand...

it depends on what alloy of Ti you use. the most common one in knifemaking is 6V4AL, which is hardenable by heating to red-hot and letting it air cool, which is what you'd want to do for the surface of the lock where it will contact the blade. good luck and please post pictures when you are done. :)

Kenny
 
Bob Terzuola has written a book on making folders. Stainless steel is more complex to heat treat times and temperatures more critical.You can heat treat 410 but not 316.
 
I made my first framelock using all 440C. I don't know that its all that cost effective, but its not that expensive and you can heat treat it to make a hell of a tough knife. And you can have all your material precision ground that way, easier to keep things square and flat.
It wasn't all that easy to work with though, I'd recommend making a liner lock for your first one. The hardest part is getting the right geometry for your lock up which means it might take you a couple tries at cutting the lock tab in the liner. Its a lot quicker to knock them out of .040" 410 SS sheet than from any material suitable for a framelock. You can also get the 410 sheet from any of the knifemaking supply houses for about $12 /sq ft. I don't know what the recommended heat treat for it is but I've had good luck with just heating it up cherry red with a torch, holding it for a couple seconds and then a rapid air quench.
 
Thanks for the replies!

The TI certainly sounds easier to H/T. I've got a metal-cutting bandsaw and a mini-mill, so I think I can handle the lock cuts-eventually!!

AFA a liner lock, I'm sure it's easier to work .050 liner material, but the overall construction seems a bit more complex. I think minimizing the variables to something like a Sebenza's construction might help.

And I'm pretty sure it was Tom's tutorial that got me to thinking about folders in the first place! Thanks for the link, though.

Pix for sure-IF I ever make a working folder...

Again, thank you.

Larry
 
Tom Anderson said:
I'm glad you liked the tutorial.

Let me know if you need any more help, Larry! ;)
Click to expand...

Wow-thanks!

You wouldn't have any hand-eye coordination you could spare, would you?
:D Seriously, you make it look far too easy!

I'm just getting to the point of figuring out the geometry of framelocks. Unless there's a better way, I'm planning on simply copying one verbatim (I won't be selling this, nor will I represent it as my design, BTW) to get the thing harmonized.

Thanks again,
Larry
 
Things always look easier than they are, Larry - and I have a scrap bucket full of botched parts that prove it! ;)

Instead of stainless, I'd start with a titanium frame. Most makers use titanium for frame-lock folders and, although it takes a little time to learn how to machine and grind it, you'll probably end up using it most of the time as well. And, unlike stainless, you won't need to heat treat it to achieve "spring temper."

Make sure you use 6AL4V titanium (aka Grade 5). Commercially pure titanium (aka Grade 2) doesn't have the mechanical properties necessary to build a frame-lock folder. (Although there are many grades of titanium available, you'll probably come across these two grades most frequently.)

Email me at andersontech@suscom.net if you'd like some more "pointers." :)
 
Got it.

Thanks again, Tom (and everybody else)-I'll try to keep you updated if I make anything remotely usable.

Larry
 
Larry, I recommend you use .100 to .125" thick 6AL/4V Ti for your framelock. A framelock is a simple linerlock which doesn't need bolsters or scales. everything else is the same.

Ti is a natural spring and doesn't need to be heat treated at all. That makes it the best material to use unless you have the stainless and are familiar with heat treating stainless. Yes, stainless is cheaper to buy, but use Ti.

Tom's tutorial is excellent. I use different methods than other knifemakers. If you're interested, go here

http://home.earthlink.net/~donwrobinson/

Look for the knifemaking books, and the folder designs. using one of these designs as a paper pattern, you'll get the lock mechanism right the first time. :)
 
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