Easy-to-follow guidelines to help you design a slip-back folding knife.
Written by Thinus Herbst
The components of a slip-back folding knife:
When the blade of a slip-back folding knife is opened, the “run-up” stops securely against the top of the spring while the spring is pressing against the “back square”.
If the knife is halfway opened the “round end” of the blade depresses the spring. The distance of travel in the spring at this point is called the “spring rise” which is usually approximately 1mm to 1.5mm.
The round end can be filed flat to create a stop in the half-open position.
Leather, as a craft material, is regarded by many people without equal. This is due to its versatility and many uses. Men have been using leather for centuries because not only is it an attractive material but also extremely functional. These days, in a world where everything around us is a product of advanced technology, there is an increased appreciation of quality hand-made items.
Knife making is such a booming field these days that knife makers often are very busy with filling orders. This leaves them with very little time for anything else for example making leather sheaths for knifes. And, frankly, most knife makers would prefer spending their time grinding steel rather than working with leather.
There are various methods of designing your liner-lock folder. We help you by giving you the tried-and-tested methods that will safely guide you in this design.
Written by Thinus Herbst
When you start with your design use a blank sheet of paper and make a free hand sketch of ideas for the outline of your knife. It is not necessary to draw the outline to scale at this stage - it is more important for you to be creative in your design. Once you have drawn a design you are satisfied with your design, make an accurate drawing of the handle to scale.
Keep in mind that the blade must always be shorter than the handle. This ensures that the blade will completely fit inside the handle, shrouding the tip and thereby protecting the user when closed.
Step by step instructions on how to sharpen your knife.
Written by Thinus Herbst
The keenness of an edge depends on the quality of three things, namely the steel, the heat treatment and the honing.
It is very important to always maintain the edge of the knife. It is advisable to sharpen a knife while it is still reasonably sharp than to rather let it become completely blunt.
It is easy to be creative with your bolsters if you own a rotary carver (for example a dremel grinder or something similar).
Written by Gawie Herbst
Firstly, draw the object that you want to use on the bolster of your knife. If you are feeling a bit artistic you can even make the drawing on the bolster yourself. The easiest way is to make a negative of the image and use POSITIVE 20 to transfer the drawing onto the bolster in a similar manner that you would have etched your logo onto the blade.
During the TV series “DIY met Riaan”, with local handy-man Riaan Venter, the HERBST Grinder was recommended as the grinder of choice for the knife-making connoisseur.
During the TV series “DIY met Riaan”, with local handy-man Riaan Venter, the 
