A folding knife is a knife with a blade that may be
moved between open and closed positions with one hand. A blade is connected by a fixed pivot
pin to a casing having the usual two handle or cover
pieces providing a casing with a space for receiving the
blade in the closed position. A substantially V-shaped
slot extends through one of the cover pieces in close
proximity and partially surrounding relation to the
pivot pin.
In addition to a circular opening for
the pivot pin, the blade tang includes a linearly
elongated, through slot communicating at one end with
the circular opening. An actuating member, having
integral head and stem portions, extends through the
V-shaped slot in the cover piece and sliding engages the
slot in the blade tang, and into a blind V-slot in the
inwardly facing surface of the other cover piece. The
head of the actuating member may be manually engaged by
the operator and moved from one end of the V-shaped slot
to the other as the stem portion engaging the tang slot
moves the blade about the pivot pin between open and
closed positions.
History
Folding knives are surprisingly old;
there are examples in Roman history, and they were quite
popular when pockets were in vogue from about the 1600s
on. But not all folding knives are Western folding
knives. Western folding knives look like oversized
pocket knives, with brown handles and blades with
only one sharp side that are as long as five inches;
when folded out, a Western folding knife's blade will
lock into place.
Design
The folded-out design is based on the
Bowie knife, the tool crucial to the taming of the
American West. But a One Handed Opening Folding Knife is handy for
anyone who doesn't want to deal with a knife sheath
hanging on his belt; folding knives fit neatly
into your pocket.
The spring folding knives use is called a lock back spring. It's been in use for over a century,
and allows you to fold your knife and put it in your
pocket, yet also use it in the same manner as a straight
knife when it's open.
Lock back springs like those on folding knives
operate vertically, and snap into a cutout in the tang
of the blade. You can release the lock on your
folding knife by pressing the spring on the back of the
knife handle. Though it's secure and strong, a
folding knife's lock back spring normally requires two
hands to operate, a drawback in some situations. But you
have the security of knowing that your folding
knife will never open by itself in your pocket.
Folding knives, like Bowies and others knives in the same family, have a
blade on one side while the other side is dull. Western
folding knives are designed this way to make it simple
to bring leverage to bear on whatever you're cutting.
This makes a Western folding knife an excellent choice
for hunting, cub scouts, boy scouts, camping and it's a good
all-purpose utility knife as well.
Caring for your Folding Knife
One Handed Opening Folding Knives, just like any knife, need to be
taken care of. Depending on the material the handle of
your folding knife is made of, you may want to
polish it, buff it, or just clean it. The blade of your
folding knife, needs much more care. It
should be regularly oiled and wiped clean; and the
spring should be cleaned and oiled at the same time. If
you use your folding knife in messy situations,
such as butchering while hunting, you should clean it after each and every use.
If you sharpen your folder, you should do
so every time it is cleaned. Keep it away from moisture
when you're not using it. The blade of your
folding knife should always have a thin layer of oil on
it to repel water and humidity.
