Knife #19 - Balisong #3 - Pay It Forward Build-Off

[Erin Burke]

Hey Guys.
I just finished this knife For Lorien's Pay It Forward Build-Off over on the Shop Talk subforum.

First some Stats:
Open Length: 7-15/16"
Closed Length: 5-3/8"
Blade Length: 3-1/4" Tip to choil (flat-ground differentially heat-treated)
Steel: W2 from Don Hanson III
Handles: 6AL-4V Titanium w/ stainless hardware/latch
Inlay: Desert Ironwood
Pivots: 3/16" pivots w/ 1/4" bushings and PB washers

I think that you should be able to see the bare-bones outline of Lorien's "C" design in this knife. I had to tweak the blade a bit to get it to fit into the handles with enough room left over for the spring-latch assembly.

Now I'm no Coop, and my camera-fu still needs some work. Anyone who's ever seen desert ironwood up close knows of the sparkly shimmer. I wasn't able to capture that, but this closed photo was probably my best shot of the inlays.

As mentioned in the stats, this blade was made from Don Hanson's W2. One thing that I'd like to mention at this point is that this blade was ground VERY thin. There is a slight secondary bevel along the straight portion of the cutting edge, and the tip has a thicker wedge/bevel for stability in the poke ... but in the belly of the transition from the tip, the grind is basically zero ground. All that to say, this knife would probably not be my choice for a hard-use utility knife.

This photo shows the latch assembly. The latch itself is made from a 5mm stainless socket cap screw. It's spring-loaded... I'll post a video later. The knife only locks in the closed position. When the blade is open, the latch tucks in close to the end of the safe handle.

I felt this little addition went well with the Pay It Forward theme of the build.

Psalm 102:18
Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.

That said, it was not a simple process to get this etch to work out. Fixing a stencil to a concave surface about 1/8" wide is tricky to say the least.

Another photo of the full knife. You can see some of the "rain" coming out of the hamon clouds.

Another shot of the closed knife.

Let me know what you think.

Erin

 

[edgemaster]

Masterpiece material there friend.
absolutely beautiful, job well done.

 

[Dawkind]

You did a great job but, then again, I'm biased towards balisongs.

Not that it makes any difference with the outstanding job you did on this piece......

 

[JParanee]

I am not a folder fan but I do like Bali's and this is a fine one

 

[Twinbalis]

A work of art.
The lock design is very unique also.

 

[Lorien]

oh man, did that turn out amazing!
I still can't get over the fact you made a bali from my design, I didn't even consider that when I drew it up.
Fantastic work Erin! Can't wait to find out how you Paid this one Forward!

 

[Wulf]

Stunning piece. Great photos too! You have incredible diversity of talents, Erin. What's next on your list?

 

[SBranson]

Unbelievable work. So very well made. The finish is impeccable. I guess it's no wonder that the photos are well composed too.
You are a definite talent. Well done.

 

[Erin Burke]

Thanks for all the kind words guys.

You did a great job but, then again, I'm biased towards balisongs.

I thought a heard something about you liking balisongs once, Dudley.

I still can't get over the fact you made a bali from my design, I didn't even consider that when I drew it up.

Lorien... when I was thinking about doing a fixed blade, I initially gravitated to design "A". I thought "C" was butt-ugly. But once I started thinking about it in terms of a balisong, my mind did a 180-degree flip and I thought this just might work. I'm happy that it turned out as well as it did.

What's next on your list?

Hah... now this is a good question. I don't want to give anything away (mostly I'm not far enough along in design TO give anything away)... but some recent influences like our very own Rick Marchand, Magnus Axelson, and Serge Panchenko have me thinking about some different shapes and textures. I've just started laying my thoughts on paper. Believe me though... it will not be a balisong.

The finish is impeccable. I guess it's no wonder that the photos are well composed too.

The blade is finished out really nice. There are some scratches and character on the titanium that I left alone. The photos are really good at hiding them... they blend into the reflections. For example, there are two scratches visible on the handle in the photo that shows the Bible verse... just above the verse between the "m" and the "1". In the photo that shows the close-up of the latch you can see some scratches right near the end of the latch handle. There are also light scratches visible near some of the screw and countersink holes in the same photo. I was lazy and convinced myself to leave some of these, imagining in my mind that they added texture and character... like wood grain. Don't tell anyone.

Thanks again for all the feedback. Erin

 

[Bruce Bump]

It looks complex as hell to make. Nice work!

 

[Daniel Fairly Knives]

I followed the build over in Shoptalk, that is something else! It really came out nice, excellent job.

 

[Chuka]

Sexiest bali I've ever seen, hands down.

 

[Chefget]

Wow, what a beautiful knife!

I was really impressed with your last balisong Erin, but this one is over the top! Lorien, what a well thought out design...and the latch coming out further down the handle...first time I've seen it and a refreshingly out-of-the-box design! The grind of the blade and temper line are spot on.

Congrats on a beautiful bali and a great job ...and don't we have something on the back burner?

-Michael

 

[Lorien]

the PIF thing was a weird little phenomenon. Just the way it all went down, and it's really taken on a life that has included some awesome people. I hope it grows and grows and keeps attracting more awesome people. That's what it's all about.

To save folk a trip to the original thread in shoptalk, (which you should visit anyway if you feel so inclined) here are the designs which spurred the PIF;

Michael, thanks I really like it too- butt ugly as it is, lol Will, (where the hell is he, anyway?)! In fact, it's the one I've chosen to do, and I am very meekly filing down a piece of O1 hoping to achieve completion upon the September deadline.

ps. I still don't know how you saw 'balisong' in that design man. Truly inspiring!