Reese Weiland Dichrolam Hawkbill, 2nd Gen
We commissioned this knife. It belongs to a series we asked Reese Weiland to build around Dichrolam inlays, and this is the hawkbill from that run. This beautiful knife represents the first Dichrolam inlayed knife that Reese has produced in over forty-years of custom knifemaking.
The inlays run as diagonal bands across brushed titanium, shifting through violet, ice blue, gold and green as the knife turns in the hand. They are not abalone and not opal, though they read as both. Browse more collector automatic knives currently in stock.
Weiland finished it in September 2026 in Riverview, Florida. It measures 8.25 inches open on a 3.90 inch Nitro-V blade and fires from a button.
Forty-four Years of Reese Weiland
Weiland joined the Knifemakers’ Guild in 1988 but built his first folding knife the in the early 1980’s, working out of a shop in Tampa. He has been in Riverview for decades since.
We also carry a 1989 Weiland Wasp from that first Tampa shop. Set the two side by side and you can watch a maker’s hand across decades of knifemaking — the same instinct for a deep-bellied hawkbill, resolved with materials that did not exist when he started.
Every grind, every pocket milled for an inlay, every fitment comes off manual machines and hand pressure. Read more on assessing work like this in our guide on how to choose a custom knife.
What Dichrolam Actually Is
John Blazy invented Dichrolam and holds the patent. He came out of furniture design, chasing the optical qualities of abalone, opal and dichroic glass, none of which could be had in the sizes or at the prices he needed. Two decades of development produced a man-made answer.
Here is the part that surprises people. Dichrolam contains no metal at all. The material is built from hundreds of clear co-extruded polymer microlayers, each tuned to the thickness of a single wavelength of light.
Light in phase with that stack passes straight through. Light out of phase reflects back like polished metal. Consequently the colour you see depends entirely on the angle you view it from, and it changes as you move. Blazy calls the result the gemstone opal in sheet form.
Why Makers Rarely Offer It
The Burl Textures line runs over nine polymer layers through three separate proprietary lamination steps. That structure is what makes the material difficult to machine, heat or pressure in the wrong place will fracture the resin or delaminate the stack.
Fitting it as inlay compounds the problem. Weiland had to mill diagonal pockets into the titanium and seat panels into them with no gap and no proud edge, in a material that punishes a slip. Read more in our knife knowledge section.
Blade, Frame, and Action
The blade is Nitro-V, stamped as such on the flat. Weiland ground it chisel style and finished it in a mix of satin and mirror polish, so the flats and the bevel catch light differently. An elongated slot runs through the blade near the spine.
The profile is a deep hawkbill. The belly pulls material into the cut rather than pushing against it, which is the whole argument for the shape.
The frame is titanium, brushed on the flats with polished bevels around the perimeter. Fine jimping runs along the spine. The button sits flush, the action fires crisply, and the lock engages with no play in either direction.
This knife carries no pocket clip. That was the intent — nothing interrupts the titanium or the inlay line, and the reverse side reads as clean as the show side.
Condition and What’s Included with This Reese Weiland Dichrolam Hawkbill
New from the maker, built to our commission and never carried. The titanium is unmarked, the Dichrolam panels sit flush with no lifting at any edge, and the edge is untouched since it left the bench.
The action fires crisply and the lock engages with no play. Our approach is set out under our standards.
- Reese Weiland Hawkbill 2nd Gen button release automatic
- Signed R.W. Custom Knives box, which serves as the certificate — hand-inscribed in gold with the model, the material and the maker’s signature
- High-end zippered knife carrying case
The box lid carries the R.W. Custom Knives Riverview Florida mark alongside Weiland’s own handwriting. See our approach to provenance.
Reese Weiland Dichrolam Hawkbill Specifications
We measured the dimensions and weight in house. The model designation, materials and finish come from the maker.
- Overall length, open: 8.25 inches
- Blade length: 3.90 inches
- Cutting edge: 3.75 inches
- Closed length: 5 inches
- Blade steel: Nitro-V
- Blade grind: Chisel ground
- Blade finish: Satin and mirror polished
- Blade style: Hawkbill
- Action: Button release automatic
- Frame: Titanium, brushed flats with polished bevels
- Inlays: Dichrolam, set as diagonal bands both sides
- Spine: Jimped
- Pocket clip: None
- Lanyard hole: None
- Weight: 5.2 ounces
- Completed: September 2026
- Country of origin: United States
- Condition: New from the maker
- SKU: 00194-RW-HAWKBILL-2NDGEN-DICHROLAM-20260901
No document records blade thickness or hardness, so we do not state them. Browse more knives direct from the maker.
Video Description: Weiland Dichrolam Hawkbill
This is the Reese Weiland Hawkbill 2nd Gen, a button release automatic completed in September 2026. Weiland builds these by hand in Riverview, Florida, on manual machinery rather than CNC. We commissioned this one as part of a Dichrolam series. The blade is Nitro-V, chisel ground, satin and mirror polished. It runs 3.90 inches on an 8.25 inch overall length.
The frame is titanium with Dichrolam inlays set as diagonal bands. John Blazy invented Dichrolam and holds the patent. It carries no metal despite the metallic shift. The button sits flush in the frame and the lock engages with no play. There is no pocket clip on this knife. Closed length is five inches and it weighs 5.2 ounces.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Dichrolam?
A dichroic laminate invented and patented by John Blazy. It is built from hundreds of clear polymer microlayers, each tuned to one wavelength of light, which is why it shifts colour with the viewing angle. It contains no metal.
Why does it look different in every photograph?
Because it genuinely is different. The colour depends on the angle between the light, the surface and your eye. Photographs capture one angle. In hand it moves continuously.
What does 2nd Gen mean?
It is Weiland’s own designation for this generation of the hawkbill pattern, written on the box in his hand alongside the material and his signature.
Why is there no pocket clip?
By design. This was commissioned as a presentation piece, and a clip would break the run of the titanium and interrupt the inlay bands on the reverse side.
Does it come with paperwork?
The signed box serves as the certificate. Weiland inscribes it in gold ink with the model designation, the materials and his signature, over the R.W. Custom Knives Riverview Florida mark.
How should Dichrolam be cared for?
Wipe it with a dry or barely damp cloth and nothing else. Solvents and abrasives will damage the resin surface, and once the optical layers are scratched the effect cannot be restored.
Buy This Reese Weiland Dichrolam Hawkbill
We inspect every knife in hand and describe it as we find it. This one we commissioned ourselves, from a Guild maker who has been building folders since 1989 and still will not use a CNC. See more on the Reese Weiland Custom Knives brand page, or sell your collection to us.
Automatic Knife Legal Notice
This is an automatic knife. Laws governing purchase, possession, and carry vary by state, county, and municipality.
The buyer must know and follow the laws that apply where they live before ordering. We do not give legal advice. For current state-by-state information, consult the American Knife and Tool Institute.
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