cheap frn handles - anything I can do about it?

R

rlschne

Joined
Jan 2, 2005
Messages
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I was just wondering if there is anything I can do to make the handle on my bm mini pika, or any other knife with the super cheap feeling / looking frn handles look/feel better - any ideas?
 
Sadly, no. FRN is a decent material for lower-cost knives but it just looks and feels cheap.

Any form of t*rd-polishing such as spray paint, glitter, or fancy bows will only result in heartbreak and dejection. :(
 
TorzJohnson said:
Any form of t*rd-polishing such as spray paint, glitter, or fancy bows will only result in heartbreak and dejection. :(
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that, and a sickening amount of ridicule that ends only after my throat becomes hoarse and raw.

but seriously, there's not much to be done. buy the FRNies to use and beat on, and lay down the fat cash on the pretty ones.

abe m.
 
Nope, nothing you can do. In my opinion FRN is a very utilitarian and economic material, which is why I like it. If it's a user, no prob. :)
 
You could paint elmer's glue on it and cover it with those little eyball thingees! Now that'd be cool. :cool:

If you don't have the googly eyes, glitter's your next best bet.
 
Will P. said:
You could paint elmer's glue on it and cover it with those little eyball thingees! Now that'd be cool. :cool:

If you don't have the googly eyes, glitter's your next best bet.
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ok, so thats the plan, i'll post a pick when i'm done ;)
 
I have a good swiss army knife where the scales were just really cheap - brittle and fragile. Don't know if it was a fluke or what... I made hardwood scales and the knife looks great now and feels good in the hand. If your plastic scales aren't structural, but just on the outside of a metal frame, maybe you could make some replacements?...
 
DRider said:
I have a good swiss army knife where the scales were just really cheap - brittle and fragile. Don't know if it was a fluke or what... I made hardwood scales and the knife looks great now and feels good in the hand. If your plastic scales aren't structural, but just on the outside of a metal frame, maybe you could make some replacements?...
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That was my first thought, but the mini pika is made completely out of 2 halves of frn... so that isn't really possible...
 
rlschne said:
That was my first thought, but the mini pika is made completely out of 2 halves of frn... so that isn't really possible...
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I just looked up the knife. Looks like a little Eclipse! Yah, the plastic IS the handle.

Sorry... you're just gonna have enroll in the G-10 Home for Recovering Zytel Users... :D
 
Fenrir Wulff said:
Ductape? Works for everything else. :p
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actually, i hadn't thought of that yet... i would have gotten there eventually though :D - I think ill try that.... this is just a beater knife anyway, it should add character...
 
They could be replaced/customized if they were handles over actual liners. I've seen some sweet SAK's with custom handles. But if they're one-piece molded handles with no liners (like the Gator, BuckLite, or FeatherLite) you're stuck with 'em.

My proposed solution, buy classier knives with natural handle materials. Something like mother-of-pearl, wood, bone, or horn. Abalone and cocobolo are my favorite materials.

Happy Shopping,
Bob
 
You can get some epoxy putty and mold it over, how good it comes out depends on your talent and imagination, here´s a couple of slipjoints that I did that way, actually I removed the old scales first but you can mold over existing scales if you don´t mind them getting a bit thicker:

campers4.jpg
 
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