Triple black kwaiken

Matthew Gregory

Matthew Gregory

Chief Executive in charge of Entertainment
Joined
Jan 12, 2005
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Yet another example knife for my presentation at this year’s Ashokan Blade Seminar, this time being one of my 4” kwaiken. The steel is .140” thick Crucible CPM-3v, which I powder coated black, then reground the primary bevels and swedge to get some real contrast. The handle is a skeletonized full tang, built up with an aerospace foam material called Divinycell, sleeved in carbon fiber. This time, the carbon fiber was made using the ‘wet layup’ method, rather than via vacuum impregnation. Once the resin had cured, I applied black tsukaito which I also impregnated with resin.


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Total weight is 4-1/2 ounces, and because of the handle construction it manages to be light while also being hand-filling.


It’ll be along with me at the symposium, so if you want to see it, just ask!
 
Very good looking work, sir. The handle material, Divinycell, is not something I'm familiar with, but a quickie google search reveals it to be an interesting choice. Too bad I'll not be there to see it in person. Meanwhile, enjoy the show.
 
Weiss said:
Very good looking work, sir. The handle material, Divinycell, is not something I'm familiar with, but a quickie google search reveals it to be an interesting choice. Too bad I'll not be there to see it in person. Meanwhile, enjoy the show.
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Really, the interesting thing is that the Divinycell is nothing more than a placeholder until the resin cures in the carbon fiber sleeve. For the most part, it doesn’t offer much in the way of strength or integrity, it just allows for a handle shape to be created that the carbon fiber can be applied to. Grossly oversimplified, it’s as close as I can come to ‘shaped air’, if that makes any sense.
 
Thanks for the additional explanation. My reading indicated Divinycell was used in some high-stress applications as a material in boat hulls, so your explanation as "shaped air" for the formation of the carbon fiber handle sounds all the more interesting, especially in light of the weight. (Yes, I like puns.) :thumbsup: :)
 
Weiss said:
Thanks for the additional explanation. My reading indicated Divinycell was used in some high-stress applications as a material in boat hulls, so your explanation as "shaped air" for the formation of the carbon fiber handle sounds all the more interesting, especially in light of the weight. (Yes, I like puns.) :thumbsup: :)
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Yes, the material is probably best known for its use in boat hulls, but there are all sorts of applications for it. To my knowledge, I’m the only one currently using it (as well as Rohacell) in this fashion. Although it’s specified for use in applications that might be subject to slamming or impact loads that may result in fatigue failure (think boat hull slamming into waves), I’m not sure I’d characterize those forces that way in a knife handle, so I’m reluctant to apply the properties the manufacturer suggests to how I’m using it.

Probably the biggest advantage for me, beyond being easy to shape, is the fact that it offers very low water absorption. You can soak one of these handles (after I’ve fully finished them) in water, and effectively blow it off with an air gun and it’s dry.

I’m toying with the idea of using this one for hunting season, to see how easily it cleans off.
 
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