How To Make Folding Knives: Step-By-Step How-To
Vintage Textbook Reference DIY & How-To Crafts & Hobbies Engineering & Technology Bladesmithing Metalworking
How To Make Folding Knives: Step-By-Step How-To is the 1994 vintage paperback that serious knifemakers still hunt for on the secondary market. Written by renowned bladesmiths Wayne Clay, Ron Lake and Frank Centofante, this 192-page illustrated textbook distills decades of custom-folder experience into a single, workshop-friendly guide. Unlike modern coffee-table titles, it was produced when these masters were at their creative peak, giving buyers access to techniques that helped define the modern folding knife.
Inside, every stage of folder construction is photographed and diagrammed: choosing steels, heat-treating back-springs, filing perfectly mated liners, installing adjustable pivots, and hand-checkering thumb-studs. Special sections cover classic slip-joint as well as modern locking systems, so readers learn to build everything from a traditional pocketknife to a rugged tactical folder. Tool lists, heat-treat charts, and troubleshooting tips are laid out in plain language that beginner and intermediate makers can follow in a modest garage shop.
Because the book has been out of print for thirty years, clean copies are increasingly scarce. This particular copy shows the expected light shelf scuffing on the cover, but the pages remain crisp, unmarked, and tightly bound—ideal for bench reference without worrying about harming a pristine collectible. For collectors, crafters, or anyone who wants to master the mechanics of the world’s most carried knife style, this vintage edition delivers both historical insight and still-relevant instruction that modern reprints can’t replicate.
Refer to our eBay listing for a full condition report and many more high-quality pictures of this item.
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