Knifekits Typhoon M CF cocobolo

F

felix7

Joined
Dec 24, 2007
Messages
159
Hy guys, here I present you my two first Typhoons, made entirely with hands free electric tools, by me:

Typhoon2.jpg


I first made the CF model, than the cocobolo, they have this features done:
-guards reprofiled, for aesthetics nothing wrong with the originals
-mirror polish handles, spacers, latch & screws, the polish on the CF model has a little bit too scratches, as it was my first model (learning experience:p)
-PB washers:thumbup:, bought separately, a ton better than the plastic ones that come with the kit:thumbdn:
-blade sharpened by me, the kit came with the blade totally unsharpened (trainer configuration)
-I have rounded the back of the blade (as in the BM Morpho 32)
-kydex clip (prototype phase) I would made a normal stainless steel clip, but drilling SS with a free hands electric drill was extremely difficult, even with a template (and cobalt bits, cutting oil, low speed) so I came with the idea of a Kydex clip, for now it works wonderfully and it has a great spring effect, it also allready survived a few drops with no damage; the clip was installed with longer screws bought separately.
-I modded the handles of the cocobolo model for the long inserts configuration, IMO a lot nicer than the short ones

my thoughts about the Typhoon kits are:

PROS
-good value
-high general quality, especially for the pivots-screws (extremely important for a bali)
-excellent shape for the inlays, with allready tappered holes
-the blade is beautiful with a fantastic hollow grind and properly heat treated; if you sharpen it you will get a fully functional bali
-great lacth shape, really functional and easy to polish
-excellent smoothness with minimal handles play (...with the PB washers;)) , break in period required
-sturdy construction with good weight on the handles, that it is customizable by the customer, the cocobolo model is a lot lighter than the CF model (less steel, lighter inserts)
-satin blade, IMO a lot better than sandblast-beadblast ones

CONS
-plastic washers are the out of the box (...hmmm bag:p LOL) option, but luckily PB are available separately

Conclusion
The Typhoon IMO is a must have for a bali lover, it has a ton of customization possibilities, if you sharpen the blade the Typhoon has great cutting capabilities (I love balis, especially when they cut well) and if you have good manual skill and wish to spend time-energy-passion&sweat in the fit & finish aspect, the Typhoon has nothing less than the expensive top factory balis.
Building one is simply an amazing experience:)

I hope that knifekits will continue to produce the Typhoon for a long time and also make more options for it, like: clips, damascus blade (carbon steel based, would be amazing:eek:), kris blade...

Extra photos:

Clip: molded from a 1,5mm (about) kydex sheat

Typhoon21.jpg


inserts finish, (CF & cocobolo also came from knifekits, really good stuff:thumbup:)

Typhoon22.jpg


Typhoon23.jpg


Both CF & cocobolo were sanded down to fine abrasives, then polish with compounds and the cocobolo inserts were than sprayed with a transparent spray paint for protection.

If you like to post your thoughts, about the Typhoon feel free to do it, I also would like to see photos of Typhoons made by you;)

What do you think about the ones that I made?...:D


P.S:
God bless this site and the man behind it:
http://web.mac.com/ptelep/Balisong/CF_Typhoon_Pins.html

A ton of useful precious infos;):thumbup:
 
very nice work!
first time i've seen someone do one long insert instead of the 2 smaller ones, and i must say, it looks very nice
 
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=787293
very nicely done, why glue did you use for the inserts?
Click to expand...

@brets
I used the glue UHU plus 300kg, it is a 2 elements epoxy, really strong and reliable, it is also transparent;) (excellent glue:thumbup:).
I prepared the surfaces before gluing, all cleaned with acetone (acetone is better than alcohol) and scratched with a sharp pointy nail.
Great suggestions about surface preparation and gluing in this site:
http://web.mac.com/ptelep/Balisong/Carbon_Fiber_Typhoon.html

Extra infos about UHU plus 300:
http://www.uhubostik.it/upl/originals/catalog/downloads/75_20.PLUS.pdf
(sorry in Italian)


@joshuawy and silkworm
Many thanks for the compliments, It took several hours to mod the handles for the long inserts, but it was worth it:D
 
Excellent job! I could see myself really screwing that up. If I had more
skills and tools I'd want to give it a try some day.
 
knifezoid said:
Excellent job! I could see myself really screwing that up. If I had more
skills and tools I'd want to give it a try some day.
Click to expand...

Thanks:D
I understand you perfectly, I waited years before make the decision to buy the Typhoon, I needed the tools (bought slowly with time) and the "know how" (provided mainly trough the Mad dog site and various forums).

I have used mainly these tools:
-angle grinder (main tool) to grind & cut the inserts, I have a model that let me choose the speed (complete choice between minimum and maximum speed), really a loveable feature;) for easy of use and safety
-Dremel for detail grinding and polishing
-drill
-heat gun for the kydex clip, also used to clean better the handles before gluing

All the job was challenging, but trust me with a good basic manual skill and the know how on the web, it isn't too tough; just pay extreme attention in safety sector:
-use protective gear especially for the eyes-face (goggles mask), and a respirator to not breathe the dangerous dust
-document really well yourself about how to use all the tools correctly
-not worry about finish the job in hurry, hurry is the best friend of injuries
-if you have the luck to have friends that are experienced guys with tools & "do-it-yourself" don't hesitate to ask their help
-buy good quality tools from trusty manufactures

You can also decide to build the solid handles version of the Typhoon so instead of fitting the inserts you can just make a basic engraving on the steel handles (like the first Kimura), or just leave the handles naked, forget drilling SS without a drill press, it is extremely hard.
In general you don't have to be a master knifemaker to grind & fit the inserts it is challenging but nothing too hard.
A tip is to center the inserts vertically and leave material to the sides, than you glue the inserts, then (after the glue is dry 24 hours) you grind the sides of inserts and level the faces of the inserts to the handles.


Guys what do you think about the idea of the kydex clip?... the clip implementation was really a headache:p
 
They turned out really nice. I actually like the clip, very unique and i've never seen a kydex clip before. The typhoon with long inserts looks great, i thought about doing that with one of mine but wasn't sure if i would be able to pull it off. Could you give us some info on how you got the handles ready for the long inserts like what tools you used to remove the extra metal and just some tips or a how to. Think i might have to give it a try with my last typhoon kit. I also highly recommend mad dogs site to anyone going to do a kit, alot of useful information on there and i have talked to him several times and he is really helpful guy.
 
Thanks to everyone for the compliments, always really appreciated:D

@Shattered

Typhoonlonginsertswork.jpg


I used the grinder with an aggressive sandpaper disk (80 grit) to remove most of the steel from the handles, using the external part of the disk, then I used the Dremel to flatten the handles and for final levelling I used the DC4 with sandpaper (120-320).
During the grinding with the angle grinder I used water drops on the handles to keep them cool and not ruining the heat treatment.

When using the grinder I went with low pressure ("let the tool do the work"), medium speed, and no hurry at all (it took several hours), it is important to pay attention to safety.

For grinding-finishing the inserts I used the angle grinder sandpaper disks (80 for carbon fiber 120 for cocobolo, carbon fiber is a lot more tough to grind than wood), than hand sandpaper (120-320-1000), than compounds and finally only for the cocobolo the transparent spray paint.
 
Hey there I was wondering if the PB washers are thick enough by themselves to replace the plastic ones? Or do you have to put then behind the plastic? The ones on the site look fat.

Regards nick
 
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