Delrin turns 50

M

MG_Saldivar

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Feb 5, 2005
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(I know this might be seen as a Gadgets thread, but given the use of Delrin in many traditional folders, as well as the mania many of us have for handle/scale materials in general, I thought I'd put the thread here.)

I've only gotten interested in slipjoints in these last two years, and when I bought up some USA-made Schrade items in local stores and on eBay when that company closed, I was bombarded with Delrin this, Delrin that. But what it is?

According to DuPont, Delrin is a high-performance acetal resin that "bridges the gap between metals and ordinary plastics with a unique combination of strength, stiffness, hardness, dimensional stability, toughness, fatigue resistance, solvent and fuel resistance, abrasion resistance, low wear and low friction."

An interesting illustrated history of Delrin can be found here. No mention of knives, though. :(
 
Why would you be hanging out at the Dupont website? :rolleyes:


Kidding of course. :p I actually work for DuPont. You won't find much mention of knives or firearms on their site. They've become quite PC over the last few years. They made their fortune with gunpowder and did well with Remington firearms for many years but those things are less than glamorous now.

All the Remington knives that bear the Wilmington, DE address on the box are from the DuPont era (to the best of my knowledge).

Even their 200 year anniversary book mentions the use of nylon in power tool housings like drill motors but gives no mention of the Nylon 66 rifle. One of the most inovative firearms to come down the pipe in a long time.

Thanks for the link.

Chris
 
Don't forget Zytel!
Another DuPont material for handles.
But it is a much stronger enginnering material
 
Yep, love the Zytel grips on the original generation of Bucklites... I don't know when Z. was first used in knives, but the Bucklite 422 was my first knife with that grip material. :: sigh :: I miss those.
 
It seems DuPont figures the "birthdays" of their products in much the same way most cutleries do. When Frank McGrew and their chemists in the Polychemical department searching for a plastic replacement for metals first came across the formaldehyde derivative which we now know as “Delrin”, they named it “synthetic stone”. This was circa 1952. It took another four years of development to refine the process for production and in 1956 they were granted the patent for Delrin. Another four years and twenty million dollars was invested in a facility to manufacture Delrin, and in 1960 the plant in West Virginia opened and began large scale production with a twenty million pound annual capacity.

So fifty years from 1952 is 2002. From 1956 is 2006. From the beginning of full scale manufacturing will be 2010.

It is first seen on Schrade knives circa 1959/60, so that was one of the earliest uses for the material in the cutlery industry. I haven't a clue as to when Buck and others began using Delrin though. Possibly around the same time.

The trademark Delrin was registered in 1953 (#71654652)
The trademark Zytel was registered in 1954 (#71666270)

Codger
 
The original model of the Omega Speedmaster "Moonwatch" uses a delrin part in the watch movement.

If you order the Moonwatch with a diaplay back though, the plastic part is replaced with a metal one.

Al P.
 
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