I have no idea where to start

[Cold Steel Cult]

I'm extremely new to the whole bali scene so i need some help...
First Question:
Anyone got any good links to good sites? I havent really found any winners
Second question:
How do u get that slot in the handle pieces in which the blade is nestled without using a machine of some sort? Its been many a day ive wonered that while looking at mine and wanting to try making one.

Thanx a bunch!

[louie]

Hi and welcome, now let's see if i can help you out. with your first question what kind of links to sites are you looking for ? somewhere to buy them or somewhere to learn about flipping ?

the second question i'm not to sure about but i think they always use a milling machine to make the slots where the blade goes. well let me know if that helps oh by the way what kind of bali do you have ?

[ExamonLyf]

Welcome Cold .., hope you enjoy Bali-Ville.

As Louie mentions.., most of the very high quality Balisongs you see with solid handles (not screwed together).., are milled with a vertical or horizontal mill of some sort. Many handles you will see of one piece are also cast, but I'm certain you don't want to get into that process.

I've known two guys that have actually done the channel by drilling a series of holes, then cleaning up the resulting mess to get a smooth channel, but it's certainly not the easy way and takes a ton of hand work with various filing equipment.

You may also want to take a shot at making U-Channel handles like the Filipino Hand Made Balisongs, but it sounds like you wanted to use a solid billet of steel and work with that.

There are a number of good sites you can check out to see many different styles of Balisong, but probably best to start -HERE-, and get a general sense of what's out there, some history, etc.

Another good site for just checking out various models and designs is -Balisong Times-, created by one of our moderators here (Felix Cheng).

For manipulations, and fun tips on the Balisong, try -THIS PLACE-, which has been around for years. Great source of fun and "Tricks" to learn.

Get some idea of more specifics you are looking for and come on back with questions.

Hope that helps some....

[Cold Steel Cult]

Thanks for the tips and links. I have looked for the model i have in various places on the internet to figure out what it's called but no luck. Its got a stainless steel handle & blade, the only markings on the blade being rostfrei. The handles on it look something like this...
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ANyways keep posting with links and for future reference im looking more for sites about MAKING balis not so much using them.
Thanks for the help!

PS. I know it's soft but would hardware store aluminum barstock work at all for handles?

[Cold Steel Cult]

I had a dumb but slightly cool idea for a balisong...
IM gonna make a mini bali with two .223 shells as handles. Just an idea and since the sheels are obviously already hollow it shouldn't be too much work... Ill post a few pics when im done so people drop me a line if you think this'll work.

[ExamonLyf]

Originally Posted by Cold Steel Cult

ANyways keep posting with links and for future reference im looking more for sites about MAKING balis not so much using them.
Thanks for the help!

PS. I know it's soft but would hardware store aluminum barstock work at all for handles?

I don't think you'll find much Internet help on making Balisongs Cold, but the searching with be educational..

Actually.., their have been a number of successful designs using aluminum handle stock, but not the variety you mention. You could use aluminum of that grade for a prototype so you don't waste a bunch of $$$ in the process, but you need T6-6061 aluminum (at a minimum) to ensure the harness you need for good Balisong handles, and a finished product.

Most (I think) would agree that aluminum handles are too light on most knives (unless the blade is quite long), but Microtech has had some success with the Dragonfly, which has T6-6061 sandwich style handles (meaning not one piece and screwed together) ~~> so no milled channel.

You may want to try a sandwich style Balisong first if you want to make one. Much easier in my opinion, or you may want to buy a "Typhoon" Balisong kit, so you can get an idea of how a good Balisong is typically built (about $70.00). The Typhoon is also a darn good knife, not just a toy to put together, and a Kit-Knife seems like a good idea to me to get your feet wet.

http://www.KnifeKits.com <~~ you can find 'em there. These Forums also have a Kit-Building Forum, and some of the guys over there simply incredible craftsman that can probably guide you toward your goal ~~> if actually making Balisongs is down the road. Take a look over there.., some incredible stuff and very helpful guys with lots of kit experience.

I can't help with the model you have now, although I probably have one....lol. You'll find most of us aren't big fans of anything that says "Rostfrie" on the tang, which in Bali-Talk 101 = "Yucky-Blade-Steel"..

Here's a Typhoon Kit I have that a friend did, and as you can see.., they are very nice. I think you'd get a jump on the "Learning Curve" by starting there, and working your way towards making a complete Balisong from scratch. Many here will help you as you go.

Have fun



Typhoon Kit by Rene Rangle - Photo by Alex Whitsell