History of the M1911 Knives

November, 2008
First Prototype - The beginning of a folding knife with 1911 grips.
I made it with aluminum on a whim, a "what if?" moment.  Lock-back design.  An attempt to quickly turn a rough idea into something I could hold in my hands.



 
 


March, 2009
Second Prototype - Now it is a knife, but why is it so ugly?
Hand made with stainless steel (handle) and damascus steel (blade).  Lock-back design.  Looking at it now, I can't believe how ugly it looks.



 
 


 
July, 2009
Third Prototype, first drawing.
The addition of the new locking mechanism - Hammerhead Lock.  It worked well enough that this became the final prototype.  Made of mild steel and brass pins, by water jet cutting from the first set of drawings.



 



September 2009
Patent applications
I submitted the design (named Hammerhead Lock) to the USPTO for patent application.  Two U.S. patents were later granted for the locking mechanism and its variant.

 

 


 
October, 2009
Gen I: Several hundred pieces of adventure and experiment.
Production of the first generation of the M1911 knives started.  I made about 500 knives, and destroyed about 200 of them (due to various issues), and sold the rest of them to 1911 enthusiasts.  They were not perfect knives.  But thankfully, my first customers supported me with encouragements and constructive criticism.
Gen I knives were assembled with steel pins and could not be disassembled.



 
 

 
September, 2010
Gen II: Making improvements.
Based on suggestions from my first customers, I started making a very different and improved version (Gen II) of the M1911 Knives. 
It was another tough year.  I was only able to make several hundred of these knives.
On the Gen II knives, small male and female screws replaced the pins.  All Gen II knives had .13" / 3mm thick blades (same as Gen I), and had checkered thumb studs.



 
 

 
May, 2011
Gen III:  More refinements.
Production of the Gen III knives started in April - May, 2011.  Thicker blade (.157" / 4mm), more smooth locking mechanism, fully adjustable, more durable finish, and finer details. The M1911 Knife has finally matured. 
In July 2011 I started putting serial numbers on the butt of Gen III knives, which started with "III".


 
 



June 2011 
The Compact Models
Prototyping of an "Officer Model" started during Gen II production, but production didn't start until the Gen III had begun.  The compact folding knives had 2.9" / 74mm blades, instead of the 3.5" / 90mm blades in standard models.

 
 




August 2011
The Fixed Blades
The first M1911 Fixed Blades were completed with the help of CNC milling, instead of traditional grinding.  Hand polished or black titanium coated.







June 2017
Partially serrated folding knives
Partially serrated blades are added to the product line. 

 




To be continued ...