Topo Gigio
by
Dennis Greenbaum

You may click on most of the images in this exhibit
to see a higher-resolution version.  Each high-res
picture opens in a new window, so you may have
to disable or bypass any pop-up blocking software
you use.  The high-res pictures are optimized for 
image quality and average about 500K.

The recent debut here on the Balisong Collector's Page of Dennis Greenbaum's Rock and Roll Typhoon caused quite a bit of excitement in the balisong community.

Click on the image above to read all about the Rock and Roll Balisong

The Rock and Roll Typhoon started with a Typhoon Kit from Classic Knife Kits. Obviously, though, Mr. Greenbaum customized practically every part of the knife. The Rock and Roll balisong is the culmination of years of customizing and embellishing kit knives for Dennis Greenbaum. The Rock and Roll balisong is especially significant because it's the first time Mr. Greenbaum made his own blade. Yes, that incredible example of bladesmithing is a "first effort." He tells me that he only made and discarded about two dozen "practice blades" to reach that finished product.

With its hand-made blade, the Rock and Roll Balisong is all but a sole-authorship knife and it convinced Mr. Greenbaum to shift his focus away from kits and toward sold-authorship knives. The first fruit of that new departure is an elegant fixed-blade knife he calls his "Persian Fighter." I was privileged to see this knife at the recent Bladeshow convention in Atlanta, Georgia. It's elegant and very well-done.


Thanks to SharpByCoop.com for that picture 
And to noted photographer Dr. David Darom for his work on it.

Not bad... for a first effort anyway.

For his second sole-authorship piece, Mr. Greenbaum bravely returned to the balisong. I say bravely because while balisongs look very simple, just two handles and a blade... and maybe a latch if you want, no intricate mechanisms, not even a spring, the balisong design is actually quite challenging. For it to work right, everything has to be dimensionally-perfect. More than one top custom maker has shared with me his frustrations with balisongs. Mr. Greenbaum, though, has it right.

Click on the pointing finger below to continue to Topo Gigio...