Defense Series 

Pocket Sai

Designed from the ground up as an implementation of the Okinawan Sai, a defensive melee weapon that would be practical to carry and sheath itself.  The Handle slides to eclipse the blade's  edges and point, and makes an integrated sheath.  It's one-button locking mechanism is designed to engage at either open or closed position, and must me pressed to unlock it from either end.

 The UPK-D1 Pocket Sai is made in HARDENED STAINLESS STEEL

Materials:

• 154CM Stainless steel Blade (Cast)
• 450 H900 stainless Steel Handle (Cast)
• Custom made 450 H900 Stainless steel Hardware(Button and screws)
• 301 Stainless Steel Springs

Finish

DarkMetal Finish - The natural heat treated surface of the cast stainless takes on an aged dark medieval texture and color tone.

Traditional - The original Okinawan Sai is a defensive melee weapon optimized for non-lethal techniques used by Okinawan police to control and subdue, noting that the saki(point) or yoku(prongs) offer pointed tips that would be used when a more lethal need arose.  I chose to shape the monouchi(main blade) of the Pocket Sai with beveled edges that draw to a point at its end giving it a more ominous look and a more effective tip for its compact size. The bevels enhance a more focused contact pressure on soft targets and provide improved piercing with the saki.  In respect to the traditional Sai, the Pocket Sai is pointed without live edges, this provides better resilience to weapon on weapon impact in melee control techniques.  

Cast and milled- a fabrication process, called lost wax casting creates a wax replica of the part,  which is then welded to a wax tree, this tree is then covered in a ceramic slurry and then baked to burn out the wax leaving a hollow ceramic part tree, which is inverted and liquid alloy stainless is poured into the trunk, filling the parts with liquid metal, then cooled.  A frighteningly violent shaker shatters the ceramic skin from the now solid metal parts tree.  Parts are extracted and viola cast parts.  The parts then receive high tolerance milling of the features like the slots and button cavity where casting would not meet tight tolerances.

Specifications:

• Blade cast 154CM Stainless Steel
• hardened
  
• Handle made in cast 450 Stainless Steel 
• hardened
  
• Custom Hardware(Button and screws) made in 450 Stainless steel
• Heat Treated by Age Hardening to the H900 condition HRC 45
• 301 Stainless Steel Springs
• Cold work Hardened to a Spring Temper

Dimensions

• Extended length: 11.7 inches (297 mm)
• Collapsed length: 7.3 inches (186 mm)
• Weight: 0.5 lb (8 oz.)