Hand Made Butterflies??

L6steel

L6steel

Joined
Sep 23, 1999
Messages
5,855
Is there a market for hand made butterfly knives??? Does anyone currently make them?? Take care! Michael

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"Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!"

 
I was just thinking of making one. I've only made ONE knife yet, and it looks pretty goofy. Hope people respond to this, so I can get some ideas!
smile.gif


~Mitch

P.S. would aluminum work for the handles (or is it too soft)? I have a block of aluminum and a little bit of 0-1 bar stock that I want to put to use.
 
I've seen both Ralph Turnbull & Fred Perrin "butterfly" knives. The Ralph Turnbull is as his usual wont exsquisitely crafted. It was a butterfly knife that is an art knife. The ones that I've seen Fred make are "beaters". But they sure do work good.

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~ JerryO ~

Cogito Cogito Ergo Cogito Sum


 
Mitch, I would imagine aluminum is way too soft. I might use some 3/8" d2 I have and mill some handles out of it. With some holes drilled to lessen the weight, it should work ok. Take care!! Michael

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"Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!"

 
L6, aluminum wouldn't be too soft if you used a good alloy. Fosters cans, mountain dew cans and cans in general produce a very pure form of it, and that's soft, but if you can get over here and play with the furnace, we can melt down some automotive aluminum and you can see what I mean. I melted a VW water pump and got a very high grade alloy that is not only much stronger and harder, it also casts up more precisely. It would certainly cut down on the weight...

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Oz

"Violence never settles anything."
Genghis Khan 1162-1227

Check out my egostistical homepage!
http://www.freespeech.org/oz/
 
Lol!!!!! Tom, I saw one of your bowies in one of my annual Knives books. Absolutely awesome!!!!!!!!!

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"Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!"

 
Hi all!
If you want to try a good, light alloy to melt down, just try to get an old VW beetle motor block. They were made from a very hard and light magnesium alloy. There was a bicycle manufacturer in the USA some years ago ( i think it was Kestrel) who used the motorblocks to make magnesium frames.
But beware! If this stuff begins to burn, you have a BIG problem.
Another possibility to make butterfly handles is to use titan sheet folded over. I have seen it but not done it yet.

Hope this helped.

Achim
 
As far as a market yes there is.
There are a number of makers doing it and they sell them all.
If you want aluminum call MSC they stock the T6 series which is a heat treated form in
bar stock in many different sizes.
The T6 alum is very strong and works well for Knife applications.
Try this question in the General forum and see what you get for responses.

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Edward Randall Schott
Knifemaker
http://www.angelfire.com/ct/schottknives
edschott@rcn.com

[This message has been edited by Edward R Schott (edited 01-19-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Edward R Schott (edited 01-19-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Edward R Schott (edited 01-19-2000).]
 
I don't know what the combustion point of that alloy would be, but I don't think I'd want to risk it if I could avoid it. That furnace gets a 1/2" mild steel bar up to welding temps in a few seconds, and crucibles are too hard to get ahold of as it is... T6 works great, though, use it if you can get it.

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Oz

"Violence never settles anything."
Genghis Khan 1162-1227

Check out my egostistical homepage!
http://www.freespeech.org/oz/
 
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