These knives were finished in May 2008. For a long time I have wanted to make a pattern welded
penknife of my own design that I could use every day. This time I decided to make a blade well
under the legal 3 inches, because it makes the knife much less noticable when used in public.
I also decided to copy the Swiss Army knife by not having a metal bolster which I feel makes the
blade seem longer than it really is. I also used a traditional British style penknife blade,
because the blunt tip looks less agressive.
I forged a 36 layer billet of CS70 and 15n20 tool steels, and had enough to make two blades, so
I decided to make two whole penknives in case one didn't work out. In fact both have turned out
well, so I will give one away as a present.
After some consideration I used black linen micarta instead of wood for the handle scales, because
it is strong enough to rivet straight into.
Here is a picture of the parts for one of the knives ready to be riveted together:
This is one of the finished knives when closed. I took care to ensure the pivot end of the blade
is covered by the sides, so there aren't any sharp projections (a lesson learned from my first folder!).
Here are two photos showing each side of the finished opened knife:
Here are two photos of the back of the knife. I was pleased that for the first time I managed to get
the spring sitting in the same position open and closed. This is something I have found surprisingly
difficult to achieve:
Finally here is a photo of the two completed knives. The blade shapes are slightly different, but
otherwise I am pleased with the way they turned out:
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