Amber Ultem, cut in a spiral.
A small machined bead that gives a knife, a flashlight, or a zipper pull something to grab. Tactile Turn makes these in house in Dallas out of the same materials they turn pens from, and each one ships with a length of American made paracord.
Specifications
- Brand: Tactile Turn
- Material: Ultem
- Pattern: Spiral
- Included Cord: 3/32" black paracord, 275 lb test, four strand core, UV resistant, made in USA
- Country of Origin: Made in USA (Dallas, Texas)
The Spiral
This is the alternate cut of the Ultem bead. Instead of the straight rings that run around the body, the lathe lays the grooves down on an angle so they wind around the bead rather than stacking on it.
In a translucent material that does more than it would in metal. Light travels along the grooves instead of stopping at each ring, so the amber picks up and moves as the bead turns on the cord.
Ultem Is Not Plastic in the Way You Think
Ultem is a high temperature engineering thermoplastic that machines like metal and comes out of the lathe with a translucent amber color that is the material itself rather than a dye.
It is light, it holds a cut cleanly, and because it is softer than titanium or brass it will not mark the anodizing on a knife handle it swings against. On a bead that lives against a knife, that is the practical argument.
What a Bead Is Actually For
A lanyard turns a pocket knife into something you can pull out without digging, and the bead is what your fingers find first. On a flashlight it gives you a way to hang it. On a zipper it keeps a cold or gloved hand working.
Made in Texas
Tactile Turn machines everything in Dallas, Texas. Will Hodges started the company turning pens on a lathe and it has stayed a machining operation rather than a brand that outsources.
We Toured the Shop
The Great American Knife Tour™ visited Tactile Turn and Tactile Knife Co. in Texas and did a full shop tour.
If you want to see the shop, the machines, and the people behind the work, it is worth a watch.
Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQVk_X4tmcE
Proudly carrying American
