Make your own wooden balisong tranier!

I started to play the spy in tf2 a lot lately, so i had the sudden urge to make myself the butterfly knife, after surfing on this website, the several designs that i found were not what i expected, so i made my own from scratch

Step 1: Materials

First off, you'll need:

4x thin Popsicle sticks
1x thick Popsicle stick
Many x toothpicks


p.s. Measure the sticks before you buy to assure it is long and wide enough!

As a reference:
My "thin" Popsicle sticks were 1cm wide. 1mm thick, and 11.5 cm long
My "fat" Popsicle sticks were 2cm wide. 1mm thick, and 11.5 cm long

Comments

[jamaljj]

WOW, what a great guide. If you just don't want to build it yourself or if you want a really smooth functioning trainer, check out this review

[rbatallones]

Someone please make a video. I kinda don't understand

[blard]

i will put one on this i have made my on one but sweet

[jgeorgaras]

what?

[darth2o]

Or, you can buy a REAL one to practice with.

[ac1D]

And tell me where, if by exemple, I live in Canada?

[jcching]

I live in hong kong, and no balisongs, so... i had to be resourceful...

[red-king]

a real one can also cut you... so i wouldn't reccomend practicing with it until you think you're ready...

[hasmant]

i didnt need practice when i held my first butterfly knife i instanly knew how to use it

[Pie Ninja]

^ Lies.

[hasmant]

im serious i just picked it up and it felt natural so i did somes flipping, and by the way i am of filipino decent

[Modeno]

Ok maybe basic openings and closings can be natural, but anything past that needs a little sometimes alot of practice. But i would still suggest getting a real one off of like bladehq or something. You can always tape the blade and just dont go to hard stuff till you get the basics down. Go at your own pace, its just alot more satisfying with the real thing

[bobbubbles]

i wonder what would happen if i made this out of surgu or silicone....
you could tip the edges with wire...

[Pie Ninja]

This looks like it would be far too light to do any advanced tricks. This makes me sad :(

[bobbubbles]

add weights...
or use heavier material...

[pastrana199]

what if the wood spilts on one side

[C.D33]

where you have one thin stick, make it two... one on top of the other.

[New Brunswick]

im in canada and im ondering if it is legal to keep a balisong in my house just for training and if not, what about training ones?

[josefu0]

you can keep a balisong as long if u dont have it in public

[Pie Ninja]

It's not illegal if you don't get caught. :P In the streets is illegal, private property is fine. Same as Australia.

[Joanassie]

"In Canada, although not specified by name as a prohibited weapon, the balisong is often considered by courts to fall under the 'gravity knife' classification and is therefore illegal. (Unless grandfathered in before prohibition)" -Wikipedia

[ThePyroManiac]

I don't think you understand the point of a butterfly knife/balisong, do you? It's not just a cool, flashy, compact toy, or if you knife-speak, a tangless blade that hinges onto it's sheath. The beauty of balisongs, which probably caught the eye of the makers of TF2 was it's hinges - it made for great tricks. Aerial tricks, where you throw them about. You know, the intimidation factor is not something you could get from say a normal folding blade. Somehow throwing a folding blade about is not as scary as this sharp windmill of doom. It was also the sharp blade that added awe and that extra wow when you see someone twirling and throwing around this balisong. Tricks wouldn't work if you have a knife that doesn't twirl. Aerial tricks won't throw well either if you don't have the weight. In short, you won't be able to practice well--if at all--on a wooden pegged practice knife. The hinges do not work smoothly and there is no weight to it. I suggest getting the real thing and making the edge safe professionally. Perhaps buy a tube of "Loc-Tite" removable glue and apply a few drops on the edge. When that stuff harden it's as tough as steel, but it also comes off when you heat them. It may not be safe if you purposely cut yourself with it, however I'm positive that if you do accidentally forget which handle you were holding it might not cut you as easily. I apologize. I resent breaking Instructable's commenting policy, however I more strongly resent this Instructable that does not do justice to the real Balisong, having removed all the beauty in it.

[Pie Ninja]

The best thing about a balisong is the strength of it, any other folding knife mechanism is tissue paper compared with two solid bars of steel/titianium. In order for a balisong's lock to fail, one of the handles literally needs to break.

[hasmant]

it wasn't just the flash of the knife it was how portable concealable and deadly the knife its self was. once the latch was locked you could stab an object (or person) repedidly until you or someone else unlocks the latch and closed the knife

[zigzagchris]

My own attempt before finding your instructable. After finding out soup can metal wasn't suitable tried wood. I'm not done ,need to find a bolt and screw that will fit the design and until then i have just ductape the handles instead of gluing and paperclips instead of the screws.

[awesomejoe]

ima make 1

[nerfer192]

i gave mine a tanto blade shape.  i love this.

[bra2008]

they're illegal in my country...

buying isn't a option thanks dude...

[R1Ch0]

nice work, i made one from some perspex i had lying around. it sort of worked till i snapped the blade (i cut it a little thin at the base). your instructable helped though, it gave me the rough scale to work with. thanks.

[aceLED]

gah if u play spy u shall die iam pyro and havent beeen backstabbed nefore ..in the pyros class heavys another story

[hasmant]

what console you play on cpu, ps3, or xbox 360? i play on my friends ps3

[falseaddress010]

let's see ur flamethrower XD

[CptVance]

It'd be a lot easier to read these if you could, at least, make the pictures bigger.

[Joanassie]

If you're unsure of the legality of a butterfly knife, Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balisong_(knife)#Legal_status ) may be able to inform you.
Also, Steamname? Or do you play console version?
HeadHonchoCarpaccio is mine, if anyone wants to play.

[skidude28]

Mine is skidude28 if anyone wants to :D

[ThatTrunkMonkey]

Er, it's a bit hard to read the picture + the measurements, could you tell us what they say? I've never used a balisong before, so I wouldn't have any preferences as of how to make it.

[gnasty gnork]

i made mine with a paint stirrer instead of a big popsicle stick

[blard]

i will make this it is awsome

[Billy mahony]

looks very good, Nice Instructable

[foxdart14]

i made one like that but with a longer handle. ive been flipping it for 3 months now it is still flipping like new....great instructable!