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homemade butterfly knife

by maggotmatt on June 5, 2008

Table of Contents
homemade butterfly knife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Intro: Homemade butterfly knife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Step 1: Homemade butterfly knife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Step 2: Homemade butterfly knife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Step 3: Homemade butterfly knife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

http://www.instructables.com/id/homemade-butterfly-knife/

Intro: Homemade butterfly knife

i made a butterfly knife out of some scrap metal i had in my back yard.
WARNING:
these weapons are illegal in some states.
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Step 1: Homemade butterfly knife

first you want some scrap metal..
your gunna need a measuring tape, a disc cutter, a pen or a marker, and some nuts and bolts.
measure out the handles (what size you want) and mark the measurements.
take the disc cutter and cut out 4 handles.
do the same thing with the blade and drill 2 holes in each handle.
(making this knife may take a few tries to get it right).
take the screws and slide them threw the holes and bold them on.
you might have to grind the screws down with a bench grinder or a disc cutter.
to sharpen the blade, first shape it out to the way you want it and work on grinding it down, again, with the bench grinder or disc cutter.

http://www.instructables.com/id/homemade-butterfly-knife/

Step 2: Homemade butterfly knife

remember to make a tang pin hole in the blade.
this is where you will find some sort of metal pin to place in the tang.
i used 2 thick wood staples and twisted them with pliers.

Step 3: Homemade butterfly knife

and now you butterfly knife should come out something like this-

http://www.instructables.com/id/homemade-butterfly-knife/

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(Photos) by
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Knife by The
(Photos) by
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Comments
46 comments Add Comment

curt-fullmer says:

Nov 17, 2010. 10:38 PM REPLY

Very cool. Im working on a lesson on how i made mine.

zigzagchris says:

Apr 2, 2010. 7:40 PM REPLY

just learned empty soup can doesn't count as scrap metal the way that leaves cuts allover your fingers. :( almost done with a decent wooden "practis" one

xbox1kid says:

Mar 22, 2010. 8:39 PM REPLY

thats the best homemade balisong iv seen 5/5 *

i need some help
when i was is the states i saw in an army surplus store i saw butterfly knifes that looked kinda like a nut cracker
anyway
how could i put a groove into a stainless steel nut cracker
plz respond
ps sick butterfly

mista.v says:

Feb 4, 2010. 2:01 PM REPLY

That is a damn fine knife.
Should it be easy enough to make without an angle grinder? All I've got is a hacksaw. Could get some files, but don't have any atm. Are there any
substitutes for a file?

disturbedreaper says:

Jan 22, 2009. 1:03 PM REPLY

man i wish my dremel could hamdle anything thicker than 1/16 thick steel i love this ible having troble finding metal though im thing to keep my eyes open for
an old filing cabnit you think i could get that to work

cowscankill says:

Jan 27, 2010. 2:32 PM REPLY

My dremel can't drill through didly squat. I have to use a drill...

Hyper Burner says:

Sep 23, 2009. 6:09 AM REPLY

whats is with the third hole?

weaponscollector94 says:

Aug 20, 2009. 4:07 PM REPLY

nice i have made a few balisongs and it looks kinda like this one!

xerxesx20 says:

Jul 21, 2009. 10:18 AM REPLY

Nicely done, I also like the end result, with access to a lathe, one could turn some bushes for all the joints and thus behold! Nice smooth slide action. 4/5
Stars. (Not five because the images are blurry, metadata and file name suggest either a small Canon or a small Eastman Kodak was used with short ish
exposure times. Should be plenty good enough for (a) sharper image(s)) On the whole, good work none the less.

graveciminal says:

Jul 6, 2009. 8:32 PM REPLY

damn thats the best looking homemade balisong I've ever seen that looks like the cheap 30 dollar ones but still that take alot of skill just the most amazing
work ever props man props I own a real balisong though I have a permit i live in florida

http://www.instructables.com/id/homemade-butterfly-knife/

goeon says:

Nov 18, 2008. 9:16 PM REPLY

awsome does it flip like a true butterfly knife

disturbedreaper says:

Jan 10, 2009. 7:26 PM REPLY

it should if it is done right but most likey it would be a little of balence and ethier very still or wobaly

goeon says:

Jan 10, 2009. 8:43 PM REPLY

ok thanks

disturbedreaper says:

Jan 11, 2009. 3:06 PM REPLY

np let me know how yours turns out you will probaly finish befor i can work on mine i need to find scrap metal and i have midterms. also if any one
know a good spot to look for the metal for the handles let me know

goeon says:

Jan 11, 2009. 3:48 PM REPLY

try the metal from the outside of a cd drives

disturbedreaper says:

Jan 14, 2009. 5:33 PM REPLY

thanks ill keep my eyes open for one

foxdart14 says:

Jan 12, 2009. 10:00 PM REPLY

dude for making it from scrap metal u did a awsome job

maggotmatt says:

Jan 13, 2009. 6:18 AM REPLY

Thank you.

2k4u says:

Aug 23, 2008. 9:34 PM REPLY

I hope you don't swing and twirl it like a real bali-song. I could very easily see it coming apart on you, and slicing a finger off. I know, I bought a cheapy
butterfly to practice with before I got a $180 BM42, and one day the blade simply detached itself from one of the handles...

disturbedreaper says:

Jan 10, 2009. 7:31 PM REPLY

wow thats not good i have a 20year old balisong witch the pins got busted so i made new pins from a coat hanger which is suprisingly strong and
hammered to turn the ends to like a rivit. and it seems to work realy good and glyds so nice but i do check the pins befor i use it

maggotmatt says:

Sep 7, 2008. 11:14 AM REPLY

yes i do twirl it like a real balisong. and i highly doubt its going to fly apart like that, considering all that lock-tight i put in the bolts.

Vendigroth says:

Oct 3, 2008. 4:53 AM REPLY

UK members should bear in mind that butterfly knives are on hte banned list, along with switchblades and knives with knuckle-dusters on the handle. Even if
they're found in your home here, you can be prosecuted. Other than that, 's not a bad instructable.

mountain island says:

Dec 19, 2008. 12:03 PM REPLY

R u serious?! i just made several knives that defo cudnt pass as cutlary...

disturbedreaper says:

Jan 10, 2009. 7:25 PM REPLY

oh im calling the polizia on your ***! jk just hope no cops raid your house any time soon lol.

nave says:

Jan 3, 2009. 10:59 PM REPLY

i think this had the potential to be pretty good, maybe if you went into detail of what you want for the handle, of where to buy the stuff to make it, and
assembling the knife, it would be better

maggotmatt says:

Jan 4, 2009. 11:48 PM REPLY

if you know where anyone can buy sheets of steel and thick sheet metal, be my guest to tell anyone who would like to know.

http://www.instructables.com/id/homemade-butterfly-knife/

Shadowfury says:

Dec 8, 2008. 10:09 PM REPLY

Nice, but a little lacking in detail. Also, you may want to temper your blade and add the instructions. Tempering the blade would make your blade a lot
sharper. Also, aluminium makes for a lighter knife, thick aluminium, that is. Elaborate on the instructions a little, it'll make your instructable much better. And
for the tang, either add another pin higher up the blade, or add something to stop the blade from coming out the sides and slicing your hand. Add a T latch to
the bottom so it doesn't open in your pocket, as well. Anyway, just my thoughts. Message me for instructions on how to make the latch and temper the steel.
-SF-

maggotmatt says:

Dec 19, 2008. 1:08 PM REPLY

Lacking in detail? If you or anyone else want to do it another way, go right ahead.

thebboy says:

Sep 6, 2008. 6:53 PM REPLY

That is awesome.

maggotmatt says:

Sep 7, 2008. 11:14 AM REPLY

thank you.

thebboy says:

Sep 7, 2008. 2:13 PM REPLY

welcome.

thebboy says:

Sep 6, 2008. 6:54 PM REPLY

what materials did you use for the handles?

maggotmatt says:

Sep 7, 2008. 11:14 AM REPLY

i used a thick gage sheet metal.

thebboy says:

Sep 7, 2008. 2:06 PM REPLY

where can i find something like that?

dannylee says:

Jun 15, 2008. 2:42 AM REPLY

nice mate i am going to upload some of the knifes i made out of scrap metel :P

drummonkey92 says:

Jun 6, 2008. 1:38 PM REPLY

nice job. what did you use as spacers between the two parts of the handle, also a pic of it closed up would be good

maggotmatt says:

Jun 7, 2008. 1:40 PM REPLY

i used normal washers. or if you dont have any the right size you could use 2 bolts as spacers

A good name says:

Jun 7, 2008. 2:06 AM REPLY

Oh, I see you put a disclaimer, nevermind.

Hands Without Shadows says:

Jun 5, 2008. 6:57 PM REPLY

You might want to add something about the legality of these knives/

ll.13 says:

Jun 6, 2008. 6:41 AM REPLY

that's actually the makers responsibility, knife laws differ throughout the world (as where this instructable can be seen) ;-)

Mr. Rig It says:

Jun 5, 2008. 9:18 PM REPLY

It looks like your knife came out pretty nice. However you need more work on your ible. Details make the Instructable, so to speak. Improved photos would
also help as killerjackalope suggested. Proper capitalization in your sentences and your title. For example instead of "homemade butterfly knife" try "How to
Make a Homemade Butterfly Knife". Knife looks nice though.

http://www.instructables.com/id/homemade-butterfly-knife/

maggotmatt says:

Jun 5, 2008. 10:45 PM REPLY

yeah. im not too worried about the capitalization and whatnot.

Mr. Rig It says:

Jun 5, 2008. 11:32 PM REPLY

It is one of the reasons it isn't featured. Readers who do not yet have the advantage of knowing you will judge you by your writing. Pay some
attention to what you say and how you say it.

xboxteen01 says:

Jun 5, 2008. 9:34 PM REPLY

one other thing you may want to add is the size and type of the scrap metal/stock you had

maggotmatt says:

Jun 5, 2008. 10:44 PM REPLY

im not too sure what kind of metal i had... i just kinda found it and made stuff with it.

killerjackalope says:

Jun 5, 2008. 5:28 PM REPLY

Looks like it might be a nice project, however some better pictures would be nice, some more about the build process would be cool aswell... If your camera
has a decent macro function you should retake some of the photos to do give the users a better idea of what the project comes out like. For the steps a
rough shape and size guide for the parts and how it all goes toegether would be good. Nice project to post but would be so much better with a bit more detail
about it. -killerjackalope.

http://www.instructables.com/id/homemade-butterfly-knife/