Handles made of horn and bone, as the hardest, most durable and wear-resistant materials, were the most reliable in the period before the advent of plastic and composite materials. Deer horn, elk horn, ivory, mammoth tusk, buffalo horn, stabilized mammoth tooth, and walrus tusk were all used. All of these material options were usually used as spacers in the metal cheeks of the hilt.
Today, only a small number of manufacturers have an all-wood handle left. Nowadays, the handle of a folding knife is an opportunity for a manufacturer to realize high-tech ideas in a wide variety of variants.
Among the modern and most common materials for folding knife handles are:
Metal handles
Metal handles are made mostly of aircraft-grade aluminum, titanium and steel.
Aviation aluminum is a metal alloy in which the alloying elements are: copper (4.5%), magnesium (1.6%) and manganese (0.7%). In the knife industry, it is mainly used in the 6061 alloy variant (6061 T-6 Aluminum). This alloy is corrosion resistant, lightweight and strong enough for a knife used for urban carry and low loads.
Titanium is a lightweight and strong material with a silvery white color. Titanium is a completely non-magnetic material. Knives are often used in quite aggressive conditions and do not rust at all. Titanium is significantly lighter than steel. Handles made of titanium are well anodized and take any color. All these qualities make it one of the most sought-after materials for expensive, premium knives. But it also has a distinct disadvantage – softness and rapid wear when interacting with steel. This necessitates the use of a special steel pad, the so-called “dryer”, on knives with a titanium frame-lock. Without it, the titanium locks on the handle often jam in the open state, which makes it impossible to use the knife properly.
Steel – Knife handles either use the same steel as the blade (this applies to the cheapest knives), or use a significantly cheaper and softer steel than the blade. The most commonly used steel for knife handles is 420 J2 steel, which is used by most of the well-known American companies. The main quality of steel for handles is corrosion resistance.
Composite handles
Micarta (fiberglass textolite) is a composite material consisting of fabric (most often cotton, canvas or linen fabric, occasionally paper) and a special synthetic resin adhesive. Such a composite allows you to create a handle of any color, with a beautiful, most fanciful pattern. Mikarta does not absorb odors, does not allow water to pass through. However, it has a noticeable disadvantage – when cracked or chipped, it begins to chip out at the point of damage, the thread begins to delaminate and fall out of the structure.
Glass Fiberglass Textolite G10 is a composite material that contains fiberglass cloth and epoxy resins. The process of production of the material is soaking glass fiber in resins, after which the impregnated glass fiber is subjected to compression. The result is a material that performs well under adverse conditions. G10 is a strong and impact-resistant material, perfectly tolerates moisture and can be colored (including layer-by-layer). This fiberglass textolite looks very similar to micarta, but is characterized by increased resistance to fire and higher strength. The main disadvantage of G-10 is that the handle becomes slippery and uncontrollable in a wet or greasy hand.
Dymondwood (Dymondwood) is the name of a composite material (laminated plastic). Its main components are wood, which serves as a base and phenolic resin, which is impregnated with wood. In the domestic market there is an analog of laminated plastic, – “delta-wood”. In the manufacture of Dymondwood natural wood is thoroughly dried, after which the voids are filled with polymer, which is able to quickly harden. Thus, the wood turns into a plastic-like material that does not deform, is strong enough, does not interact with water and is aesthetically appealing. Such a handle is not subject to corrosion, does not absorb odor and is quite cheap in production. The main disadvantage of this material is its weight, it is approximately one and a half times the weight of the original wood.
PaperStone (PaperStone) is essentially an analog of Bakelite, which is a material that contains cardboard (or paper) and phenol-formaldehyde resin. Extremely tough material, capable of withstanding strong impacts, pressure, friction, etc. It is often made from secondary raw materials (waste paper). Its main disadvantage is a very simple appearance, visually cheapening the product. In addition, this material becomes as cold as a stone in the frost.
Carbon (Carbon fiber) is a fabric made of carbon threads. It is folded into several layers and then impregnated with epoxy resin and dyed. Carbon fiber is a beautiful and lightweight, yet strong material. Carbon is lighter but stronger than steel, it has excellent anti-corrosion characteristics, is chemically neutral and can withstand heavy loads. The main problem of carbon is the high harmfulness of the production of the handles themselves, as the processing of this material affects human respiratory tract. In addition, it fades in the sun and can break under impact loading. Nevertheless, today it is one of the main materials of expensive, premium knives.
Synthetic Rubber
Kraton is a synthetic rubber – a TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer). Two companies’ elastomers are most commonly used in knife manufacturing. These are Santoprene (Santoprene) material from Advanced Elastomer Systems and Kraton, produced by Shell. Knife handles made of elastomers (Kraton in particular) are produced by high-pressure molding. These materials can be deformed quite easily, and afterwards they take the same volume and shape. A handle made of this material should stick to your hand slightly, which is one of the main signs of a good elastomer.
Elastron (Elastron G) is a polymerized butyl rubber. It is as strong as vulcanized rubber and remains flexible at temperatures from -65° to 150°C. It has good water repellency and resistance to chemical attack. The material withstands high loads and remains warm enough in cold weather. However, when damaged, it quickly deteriorates, falling off in irregular pieces.
Plastic
FRN Thermoplastic (Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon) is a fiberglass reinforced nylon. FRN thermoplastic withstands high temperature loads, has high impact strength, dielectric properties, is well colored, practically does not burn, has low moisture absorption and high chemical resistance, low weight. It is also quite cheap in production. The disadvantages of the material include high fragility in conditions of severe frost. Today it is one of the most common materials in the world’s largest manufacturers.
