I wanted to update my blog in response to some recent questions about the Orion Balisongs. These knives are going to be super popular when I release them, but in my usual tradition, I wasn't really satisfied with the status quo.
Still designing, from initial prototype to final it's probably going to be a couple months just working on this knife. Balisongs are hard because theres so many little features people want in a knife and you still have to get your own unique style in there somewhere. I'm trying to include the community on this one in addition to making a knife that I would personally want, so it's a balance that I'm trying to get right on this one. At the end of the day, I do hope this is a popular knife, just like I hope all of my work is popular.
So I just wanted to update you guys on some of the final thoughts and modifications I had before sending DXF's off to my water jetter. I swapped a few things around on the innards and I'm making a couple prototypes to see how they work out.
The first is a regular tang pin construction with the latchless titanium handles, which will likely be the one I end up taking to market.
The second is a concept knife, and includes a few ideas I had. The first big change is the removal of the tang pins. It uses internal stop pins which are machined into the handles and interface on the inside of the tang of the blade as the stops. This eliminates the need for tang pins AND zen pins, a system that as far as I know is unique to this Bali (although not entirely unique to regular folders). It does mean I will have to make my own washers for the system, but I want to see if this kind of system is even possible. Theoretically, along with the tolerances I'm holding using CNC and waterjetting, it should eliminate most if not all of the play in the handles characteristic to Balisongs. The second big change is the latch; I have a tentative design for the latch kit which I will be testing, and I'm making myself on the CNC Mill.
The latch consists of a trunion which fits into where the original latchless standoffs were but utilizes a spring loaded ball bearing detent which locks into place with a predetermined amount of force dependent on the spring and size of the bearing. Instead of using a T latch or a spring latch which interface with the bite handle, my Inertial Opening Latch locks into a bearing detent in latch and can be opened with a heavy flick of the bite handle whilst holding the safe handle. This overcomes the bearings detent and breaks the latch free without having to use an external toggle or tang on the latch.
I'll still put an extended tang on the latch if you still want to use that to open the latch, but it enables you to open the Bali with one hand and a good flick of the wrist. Again, this is a system that as far as I know is unique to this Bali, and I've never heard of it being used in this application so I went ahead and filed a mechanical patent for the system. I'm not saying all of the latches will be like this, but it's an option I'm considering right now. I may just go with a standard T latch kit for the drop ins. However, if I can get it to work properly, it'll be brilliant.
For those of y'all concerned with weight, I sourced some magnesium for the handles. I will do an ultra-lite version of the knife with magnesium handles, which gives you a 5 inch Bali with .2 inch thick handles and a .2 inch thick blade weighing only 5.6oz. Magnesium is the strength of a good quality stainless, so it should be the lightest, strongest 5 inch Bali in the world. Of course all the handles are interchangable, so if you decide you want to go back to Ti or you want to add Magnesium handles at a later date, you'll be able to do that with drop in handles, since they'll all be watercut to extreme tolerance.
Will
