Materials for knife customization

Many knife owners are not satisfied with the original design of the product. In this case, it is not necessary to change the knife and look for a replacement. You can make your knife unique with the help of tools for knife customization. Professional equipment costs a pretty decent amount, but if desired, you can customize the knife even without special tools. So, a customized knife is a mass-produced knife, completely or partially recycled and modernized. The purpose of customization is to make the knife original, to change its characteristics. Today, you can order almost any customization of knives, and well-known craftsmen offer services of carbon fiber (G10), acrylic, and micarte. It is also popular to replace the stock parts of the knife with titanium and add clips. Fans of hand-to-hand knife fighting can make a knife according to their own requirements, and lovers of jewelry can add titanium beads to the knife strap.

Knife handle

Most often, the knife handle undergoes changes. To work with steel, you need both skill and specialized equipment, while upgrading the handle is more affordable. The main materials for customization are both natural and synthetic. For example, a properly made birch bark handle has not only high strength, but also an aesthetic appearance. In addition, the handle made of birch bark is especially convenient in the winter season — when grasping the handle, the hand does not freeze as much as when using other materials. Similar properties of synthetic rubber Elastron G.

Common materials for customization

1. The most classic and common material for customization is wood. Overhead handles made of various types of wood have high attractiveness, but they lose in properties. Any, even the highest quality processing and impregnation of wood will not be able to provide it with reliable long-term protection from drying out or moisture absorption. An old wooden handle can burst completely suddenly. Another disadvantage of the tree for use in customization is its low impact resistance. The wood does not withstand strong impacts and is deformed. Wood is a very “cold” material. But at the same time, you can get any shape of the product — wood is easily processed.
2. Leather is a more durable material. The set handles made of genuine leather are highly durable, do not absorb moisture and do not deform under the influence of blows. But for high-quality customization using leather, you will need a considerable amount of tools and equipment, which is not available to everyone.
3. Metal is often used to customize folding knives. Most often it is titanium, aluminum or steel. The advantages of using a metal handle are greater strength under constant load on the axis of rotation of the blade. Titanium is lighter than steel. Among its advantages are also antimagnetism, corrosion resistance and high strength indicators. Aluminum is similar in properties to titanium, but does not have the same resistance. This is not critical for the handle, especially since, with proper processing, aluminum can acquire stronger wear resistance properties than titanium.
4. If you need to give the handle dielectric properties, then the best choice for customization will be thermoplastics. This is a refractory material that was created in the 30s, and is still actively used in the modernization of knives. The handle made of thermoplastics is not afraid of high temperatures, is resistant to mechanical damage and is suitable for the manufacture of any shape.

Artificial materials have gained great popularity due to their exceptional strength qualities. The constant use of a knife with a wooden handle in most cases will lead to its deformation, whereas synthetic materials are able to carry huge loads without losing their properties. Modern elastomers feel the handle in the hand similar to rubber, but much superior to its durability. The most famous elastomer variations are kraton and santoprene. They are obtained by adding various additives to the mixture that enhance the effectiveness of the resulting substance.

Private collections are full of custom knives made by craftsmen. In this case, only the author’s imagination matters. Valuable wood and metals, ivory, animal fangs – all involved in the creation of a masterpiece. If the master is driven by the desire to realize his idea, only then do truly unique knives appear.