New Moon Mark 6 Available

Special Edition Moon M6A1 SN3

Featues include:

-Hand Ground Blade with Hand Rubbed Satin Flats

-Convexed Tip

-False Edge

-CPM S30V Blade

-Tapered and Hand Contoured 6Al4V Titanium Frame

-Contoured Black G10 Handles with Milled Flutes for Grip

-Moonglow Inlay Stripe

-Black G10 Backspacer and Pocket Clip

Price is 495$-SOLD shipped in the US.

Moon Mark 6's Available for Sale

Hey all,

  I just wanted to post some Mark 6's for sale.  These knives are ready to go with no waiting period.  Each is 495$ shipped in the US, paypal, checks and USPS MO's accepted.  Please email me at wvmoon@team-moon.com if you have any questions or would like to pick one up.

SN1 -SOLD

-Satin CPM-S30V "Tanto" Blade

-Convexed Tip

-Hand rubbed satin flats

-Crowned spine and thumb ramp

-Red G10 scales

-Black G10 backspacer and pocket clip

SN2 -SOLD

-Two-Tone Acid CPM-S30V Washed "Modified Tanto" Blade

-Hand rubbed satin flats

-Crowned spine and thumb ramp

-White G10 scales with hand milled flutes

-Blue "Glow Cells"

-Blue G10 pocket clip and backspacer

SN3 -SOLD

-Satin CPM-S30V "Spanto" Blade

-Hand rubbed satin flats

-Dual False Edge

-Crowned spine and thumb ramp

-Black G10 scales and pocket clip

-Yellow G10 backspacer

SN4 -SOLD

-Stonewashed CPM-S30V "Spanto" Blade

-Stonewahsed Frame

-Orange G10 scales and pocket clip

-Hand milled unique flutes

-Black G10 backspacer

-Fully hand contoured frame and scales

Moon Mark 6 Knives Ready for Order

Hey All,

  The Mark 6's are finally ready for order.  I am taking custom orders on these knives so if you're interested in getting one, please send me an email, my new address is wvmoon@team-moon.com.  You have your choice in G10 for the backspacer, scales and pocket clip, as well as satin, two-tone black oxide and stonewash finishes on the blade.  These will also be available with drop point blades in future runs, but the first run only comes in the tanto grind.  The knives are 495$ shipped in the US.

  The knives feature interchangable 4 inch blades with the Mark 12 Integral Framelock, including an internal stop pin and the same thrust bearing system.  These blades are hand ground with hand crowned spines.  Thrust bearings are self contained; unlike IKBS, which uses loose ball bearings, a thrust bearing is one unit and thus you never have to worry about loosing bearings if you take the knife apart for cleaning.  Weight on the knives is around 6 ounces, the different blade grinds vary from 5.7 to 6.3 ounces.  They do have tapered handles.

  Currently I'm using G10 pocket clips.  Titanium clips will be available for a slight upcharge, but the G10 clips are extremely strong and durable.  I've been using G10 for pocket clips in other knives for a very long time, and I'm always impressed with how well the material holds up to hard use.

  Because the blade tangs are milled, I can hold extremely high precision in the lock placement of the knives.  They have early lockups for plenty of longevity.  The blade lock faces are milled before heat treat rather than ground after heat treat, this insures the lock face is properly hardened and will insure a very long life for the lock.

 
  The first run of knives will come with "sterile" blades in CPM-S30V, but the serial number of each knife will be marked on the frame under the non-locking side scale.  Subsequent runs will feature my logo etched on the blade.

  -Will

Mark 6 Prototype Nearing Completion

Hey All,

  I wanted to post some photos of the Mark 6 Prototype as it's nearing completion.  We currently have an aluminum test frame on the knife for the photos, however the frame will of course be made of 6Al4V titanium when its done.  The first of the titanium frames will be done tonight, and the prototype will go up for sale to fund materials purchases for the first run of knives.  If you're interested in getting the prototype, please send me an email.

  -Will

Coming Soon: Moon Mark 6

Hey All,

  I wanted to take a moment to show off some CAD mock-ups of the Mk6 bolster lock.  I've been getting a lot of mail regarding these knives, so I figured it was time to let the cat out of the bag, so to speak.  It's essentially a bolster-lock non-integral version of the Mk12 which has been extremely popular.  That said, the Mk12 is a pricey knife; integral frames are extremely time consuming and difficult to produce and the slightest error will ruin the knife.  As such I wanted to design a custom knife that'd be more affordable for the guys who don't nessisarily want to shell out a grand for a custom integral.

  The Mk6 follows the lines of the Mk12 exactly, essentially it's a Mk12 only constructed like a standard framelock.  The knife uses the same blade and thrust bearing system, the only difference is in the construction of the handle, which is machined out of 6Al4V and fit with G10 scales, a 3D machined G10 backspacer and G10 pocket clip.

  Full titanium versions without bolsters will be available as well, for higher end knives I also plan to offer the knives in Mokuti and with various options for spacer and scale materials.  Blades will be available in a variety of steels, as they are interchangable with the Mk12's, and in a variety of blade grinds and variations.  Price will be around six bills.

  Keep an eye on my Youtube channel for build video.  Thanks for all the support and for keeping up with us!

 -Will

One-Off Moon Mark 12 Available!

Hey All,

  This knife is available for general sale, it's a one-off Mk12.  This one has a clip point tanto blade, which is sort of a half-way between a bowie and a tanto blade.  It retains the best of both blade shapes, with a clipped tip for increased penetration and a tanto point that is strong and aids in cut acceleration.  The blade is hand rubbed and matches the hand rubbed handle, which features orange G10 inlays.  There is a matching billet G10 pocket clip that's light and strong.  The knife also has a blasted contrasting spine.  This will be the only clip point tanto Mk12 in this years batch, I may make one at a later date but there's not another one on the drawing board.

Price on request, email me at WillMoonCustomKnives@gmail.com if you're interested in picking this knife up.  It's fully complete so there is no wait.

-Will

Mk12 Wharncliffe One-Off

Hey All,

  I'm finally finishing up another batch of Mk12's which will be coming with me to Blade in June.  These knives are all one-off's with some pretty unqiue features and blade shapes, every one of them is it's own unique beast.  In addition to moving more into the full custom market, I'm working on the Mk6, my non-integral design, for a more cost effective entry to the market.

Anyway, here's my Mk12 Wharncliffe, this knife has a CPM-S30V blade, full crown on the spine, moonglow inlays in the blade and frame and all titanium parts.  I decided to go with an "as ground" finish to the blade because frankly, I absolutly hate polishing CPM-S30V, it drives me up the wall.  Something about the steel makes it increadibly difficult to polish properly, maybe it's the vanadium, I really don't know.  I can see why people like CPM-S35VN better though, given it's considerably easier to finish.

 -Will

Merry Christmas and Other Updates!

Hey All,

  I wanted to post a quick Merry Christmas.  Please keep safe and warm this holiday season.  I think this is a season for reflecting on the things that really matter- family, friends, loved ones- and for reflecting on the life and deeds of Jesus Christ.  Each day we should seek to be better people than we were yesterday, and seek to love one another in the same way.  Please have a very Merry Christmas!

  A couple more updates while I'm at it!  I'm building Mk12's as fast as possible, but naturally demand currently far outstrips supply.  For the folks who are very patiently bearing with me, I'll have another batch up for sale soon, which will include the new harpoon lum and drop point shapes and the wharncliffe shape.  I spent a bit of time grinding the latter yesterday, and I'm really loving how they're coming out.  These blades will also have new inlays into the blade flats for a little extra accent.

  I've created an updated logo for the business, which I'll link below.  I wanted something simple, but also something that communicated what Will Moon Custom Knives is all about.  I chose the latin phrase "Sic Itur Ad Astra", a line from the Aeneid meaning "You Shall Go to the Stars" for our motto, which I really think captures what I try to do.  I try to design space-age kit and gear, stuff that looks and feels futuristic that would be at home in space.  It also certainly connotes a certain degree of indestructibility for those privy to the Virgil reference.

  Lastly, the Mk6's are going into initial prototyping stages this week.  This is our new bolster-lock design, which will be a bit more affordable than the integrals.  I realize that spending a thousand dollars on a pocket knife is simply unassailable for a lot of folks, so the Mk6 will be a much more afforable, yet still awesome and feature rich version of the Mk12 built as a non-integral bolster-lock.  I hope to have the knives prototyped and into production by the end of January at the very latest.

  That wraps it up folks, thanks for all the support this year, and I look forward to another great year in 2013!  Stay safe, stay warm, and stay sharp!

 -Will

Blue Orange Peel Mk12

Hey All,

 I wanted to show off another Mk12, this one's sold but here're some photos and video for the knife:

Here's a rundown of the specs for this knife:

Blade Length: 4

Over All Length: 9.25

Blade Material: CPM-154

Blade Thickness: .1875 

Handle, Overtravelstop and Pocket Clip Materials: 6Al4V Titanium

Weight: 6.3 ounces

Custom Options:

-Crowned Blade Spine and Frame

-Drop Point Blade

-Hand Rubbed Satin Finish

-Blue Anodized Orange Peel Frame

-Satin finished Pocket Clip

-Satin Finished Overtravel Stop

Here are photos:

The First Moon Mk12 Heading Out!

Hey all,

  It's been a long and tough journey going from concept to completion but I finally have the first Mark 12 ready and heading out the door.  I'd like to take a quick moment to thank all of my supporters, friends, cohorts, subs on Youtube and everyone else who's taken time out of their lives to send notes and emails of positivity, leave comments, invested in my brand and made this all possible.  I cannot express my gratitude enough, your support for Will Moon Custom Knives not only goes to helping a startup small business, but also helps me pay for my education.  Thank you all!

  So without further noise, here's some hastily snapped photographs of the first Moon Mk12.  

This knife has a two-tone blade and frame.  The blade is my Lum style tanto grind, which has a polished near zero ground tip.  The bevels are all mirror polished with satin flats, and the blade is crowned.  The blade features drilled and milled gimping, which is very grippy.  Inside the knife I have a thrust bearing system, this is the first integral in the world to utilize ball bearings in the pivot.

When closed, the blade centers nicely due to the use of a dual detent system that automatically centers the blade.  The under-side of the knife and the spine are both crowned to match the blade.  This rounding really helps to make the knife more comfortable in the pocket and in the hand.  Comfort is really key in my book.

On the rear of the knife I have my overtravel stop and billet titanium pocket clip.  These are both custom made for this knife.  The pocket clip is keyed and attaches with two 4-40 screws.  I chose to use flat head screws in this particular knife, but I also have titanium Torx screws that will be available as an upgrade.  The pocket clip has a matching texture and finish to the milling on the non-locking side of the  frame, which aids in gripping the knife and extracting it from the pocket.  Additionally, not shown is my lanyard hole which is located on the spine of the knife.  Due to the angle of the lanyard hole and its placement, it allows me to attach the pocket clip further back for deeper carry in the pocket.

This knife sold in only a few minutes, but I have more on the way. If you're interested in getting a Mk12, please email me at willmooncustomknives@gmail.com.

-Will

Moon Mark 12's Finally Finished

Hey all,

  I wanted to post some info on the Mark 12's.  After 11 months of designing, building revising and building again, I think I have a design refined enough to compete with the best custom knives out there.  The goal was to build something that was aethetically pleasing and provided excellent utility.  To that end, the final design is feature centric.  The knives weigh 6.3 ounces with the drop point and lum grinds, and 5.7 ounces with the multigrinds (some variation will be natural due to various frame designs and custom grinds).  Each knife is equiped with a captive bearing system that's inset into the blade on either side for increadibly easy assembly/disassembly.  Since the handle is one solid piece of titanium, the only screws in the knife are the pivot and stop pin as well as the two screws in the pocket clip.  The knife features a biller titanium pocket clip and custom titanium overtravel stop.  Additionally the knife has a dual detent for an exceptional flipping action on the blade.  The blades are .1875 inch thick steel and will initially come in CPM154 and S30V.  Each has a hand crowned spine.  The handles taper for user comfort, weight and for better pocket carry.  Every frame and blade is CNC machined and then hand finished, the blades are hand ground.  Heat treating on the blades is done professionally. by East Carolina Metal Treating in Raleigh NC.

  I'm very proud of this design.  Despite haters, hardships in production and constant revisions, the Mark 12 Integral is now a reality.  I will have some pieces available by the end of the week on a page dedicated to the knives.

-Will

Tormach LLC Owner Showcase

Hey All,

  I wanted to put a link on my Blog to an article recently written about Will Moon Custom Knives by Tormach LLC.  Tormach produces the PCNC 1100, the mill that I'm currently using to build the Mark XII Integral Framelocks.  Our PCNC is one of the first ever produced and it's been in our shop making robotics parts for about seven years now, and I like it quite a bit.  This is the same mill that John Grismo uses for his knife making as well.  Here's the link to the story:

http://www.tormach.com/Will-Moon-Knife-Making.html


-Will

From the Ashes

Hey All,

  I wanted to share a couple photos of a Spyderco Phoenix I was sent by a customer.  This knife was pretty badly beat up, you can see in the before photograph that the frame was completely scratched, likewise the blade had a lot of marring, and the scales were pretty beat up.

I did a complete refinish, surfaced the handle scales and then satin'ed the frame with blue ano.  Then I added new scales made of silver twill G10, a material that's sometimes called platinum carbon fiber but it's really aluminum coated fiberglass.  Lastly I polished and reshaped the blade spine with a crown at the owner's request.  It's hard to tell this is the same knife, it looks brand new.  I'm pretty happy with it.

-Will

What does Integral Mean Anyway?!

Hey All,

  I wanted to take a quick moment and answer a question I get very frequently via PM and email, and it goes something along the lines of "What do you mean when you say your framelocks are Integral?"

  The origins of the term integral are somewhat muddy.  The original R.I.L., or Reeve Integral Lock, was invented by famous knife maker Chris Reeve in the early 90's.  Based on the Walker Liner Lock, Reeve's Integral Lock featured a beefed up liner which served as the frame for the knife and featured no scale cover.  This allows the users hand to contact the lock bar and in effect keep the knife securely locked while the knife is open and in hand, and help prevent unwanted closure.

  As time has gone on, there have been countless renditions of this mechanism, but the term "Integral Frame Lock" is now somewhat archaic.  In fixed blades, the term "Integral" refers to the knife, and perhaps bolsters, being forged or milled out of one solid piece of steel.  With the introduction of similarly designed folding knives like Scott Cook's Lochsa or the Lionsteel SR-1, the word "Integral" took on a new meaning with framelock knives.  "Integral" now refers to the construction of the handle rather than the construction of the lock, and it means that the handle is machined out of one solid piece of material, lock and all.

  An Integral folding knife has very few parts.  One would think that due to the simplicity of construction, Integrals would be easy to make, but in fact they are astonishingly tricky to perfect.  My own Integral design has taken around 10 months to come to fruition, and I don't think that I'm an outlier.  However, a polished Integral design is remarkably easy to maintain, extremely strong and offers the end user eternal bragging rights with its off the charts cool factor.  The solid one-piece construction is generally considered to be the strongest way to build a framelock, and there's something inherently special about a one piece handle, especially from the design and engineering standpoint.  For those of you who enjoy mechanical design, I think you'll agree with me that Integrals are very cool in that respect.

  Hopefully this clears up exactly what people mean by Integral, it can be somewhat confusing but I think this will help to shed some light on the differences between the R.I.L. and the modern term "Integral", as well as some of the advantages of Integral knives.

  -Will

October Service Changes

Hey All,

  I wanted to post an update regarding service changes for the remainder of the month of October.  Mid-late October is my busiest time of the year, with prep for the Holiday Season and midterms, things get pretty hectic.  As such I will be suspending customization orders until the beginning of November while I catch up with my existing work load.  Current orders will still be processed along with retail orders for custom and production knives currently in stock.  Please be aware that while I will try my best to keep communications fast and timely, I'm extremely busy between now and the end of the year and my time is very limited.  I may be unable to answer phone calls and emails straight away, but I will get back to you ASAP.  Have a great October!

-Will

Moon Integral October Update

Hey All,

   I wanted to post a quick update to the Integral Framelocks.  Unfortunatly scheduling conflicts and some tooling issues have arisin that have caused some delays and setbacks in the production schedule, but we're still moving toward having a finished product by the beginning of the holiday season.  One thing I want to reiterate is that these knives will not leave the shop unless they are absolutly perfect in every respect; I had some issues with the initial offering of the Orion balisongs, which by now are squared away, but I want these to be as good as they can be straight from the gate.  Likewise I've been getting daily inquiries as to the price of the knives.  The Integrals will be priced somewhere around a grand owing to the extreme amount of labor, machining, fitting and materials involved in each knife.  At the end of the day I have to keep the lights, so there's not much I can do on that front.
   However I will be introducing a more affordable liner lock alternative for the folks who don't want to shell out such a large amount of money, which will be about half the cost of the Integrals.  It will still be handmade, however it will not require the use of a billet of titanium and weekend's worth of milling time.  Please check the Blog for more updates on the liner locks in the coming months.
   Lastly but certainly not least I wanted to thank all of my customers, friends and supporters all around the work, without you I can't make these kinds of projects happen.  Thank you!

  -Will

Customized Emersons: Super Roadhouse and CQC7V

Hey All,

  I'd like to take a quick moment to show off a couple customized Emerson knives that I just finished.  Emerson knives provided a great starting point for customization, not only are they fairly simple to work on they also usually give the customizer a great blank canvas with which to design.  The first is a CQC7V, one of my favorite Emerson designs, which I've given a set of orange G10 grips.  These grips have a stripe of silver twill inlaid into the handles as well as traction flutes for grip located where the majority of the hand meets the scale.  This keeps the knife smooth in the pocket as not to damage your clothes, but tactile enough to prevent slipping during use.  

The second knife in the series is a Emerson Super Roadhouse.  This massive knife is an awesome tactical blade, so I didn't want to use a lot of bright color as per my usual style.  However, I still wanted to keep it a little "space-punk", so I chose natural canvas micarta for the scales with copper and black micarta inlays.  Again I used a fluting design for the handle scales to give the knife some traction.

Both knives have refinished liners.  Emerson knives typically come with relatively rough liners, which have water jet marks on them from their construction.  By mating the scales to the liners, I refinish the edges and eliminate these machining marks, creating a consistant satin finish around the edge of the knife.  Likewise I hand sand each scale's edges to fit the knife, there's nothing I hate more than ragged edges on knives, and it's the little things that really make a piece scream quality.

More customized Emerson goodness to come!

-Will

A quick Thank You

Hey All,

 I wanted to take a quick moment and post a quick "thank you" on my Blog.  Over the past three months I've endured an extraordinary amount of hatred from a certain group of malcontents in my industry. I wanted to thank all those who have been friends to me in these tough times, your support means the world to me.  I want to personally thank each and every one of my customers who has spent their hard earned money with me.  Thank you for allowing me to earn your business, and for allowing me to continue to do what I love.  Because of your generosity and support, the past three months have been my most successful months in my knife making career.  Thank you for all of your support and friendships.  Have a wonderful October!

  -Will

Moon Integral Folder Finalized?

Hey All,

  It's been a while since I updated my Blog, unfortunately I haven't kept the progress reports coming as well as I should have and now here suddenly I'm more or less finished with the design and build process of the first prototype.  My father and I have been working non-stop on these knives to get them ready for the fall/Christmas season, and I'm happy to say the finish line is in sight.  We made some pretty significant changes to the design internally, so I wanted to outline those first:

One of the big issues we've been having is getting these knives to really rocket out of the handle.  The mark of a good flipper is that the blade comes out fast.  A great flipper deploys in the blink of an eye, and that's what we really want.  We had spent a lot of time and money milling PB washers and bushings for this project, but after having the first prototype together it became clear that we really needed to include some kind of bearing system.  The knife deployed without wrist, but it could have been better so we went back to the drawing board and have come up with a bearing system for the knives.  As such these will be the first integral framelocks in the world to utilize a bearing system, and its something we're really excited about.

Another big change comes in the form of an auto centering secondary bearing set into the non-locking side of the frame.  This is a nifty way of insuring the blade self centers and stays smooth in opening at the same time.

We've also changed the locking geometry slightly to something a little more conventional which really has improved the overal solid feel of the knife.

The blade shape has been slightly altered to rebalance it and allow for easier closure.

The pocket clips have been refined slightly to allow for easier donning and doffing during day to day use, and to keep the clips from tearing up even delicate pants.

Lastly I've put a huge amount of effort into figuring out how to properly fit the knives.  These will be fairly fitting and finishing intensive.

All that said I'm very happy with how the first prototype of the Gen 7 Integral came out.  With the Gen 8 improvements (mentioned above) I think we're really going to have a winner on our hands.  Not to toot my own horn, but these knives have a design refined over the course of 10 months, we have countless hours of RnD in these and I think that the end product will truly reflect the amount of work we've put in on the front end.

-Will

Integral Framelock 3D Machined Pocket Clips

Hey all,

  Just wanted to show off the new pocket clip and overtravel stop for the Integral framelocks.  These are 3D machined out of billet titanium for the new Integral Framelocks.  The pocket clips are secured to the frames via a pair of recessed 4-40 T8 screws which mount flush inside of the pocket clip, likewise the clip sits in a milled envelope on the frame which should help prevent any rotation on the frame.  The overtravel stop sits in a recessed pocket on the frame and prevents the lockbar from hyper extending and is secured via the shoulder-bolt pivot and an extended flange that sits on the inside of the pivot hole.  These parts are very strong, should go perfectly with the indestructability of the rest of the knife.

-Will