Chopper grip

[PMQ]

I recently participated in a Bladesport event. The handle, I thought, had pretty good grip. But when I was swinging as hard as I could at the 2x4, the chopper almost few off my hands several times. Had it not been for the lanyard around my wrist, I would definitely flew off.

I think the main problem is that my handle just doesn't have enough traction-grip. I'm planning on upgrading the handle with some sort of rubber inlay to increase the grip. (1) Does anyone know where to look for this thing? I see lots of guy use tyre tubes, but that only works if the butt thin enough to slip in. (2) And how would I glue rubber to wood/g10/micarta, by epoxy or CA glue?

Thanks

 

[Lorien]

I think that the shape of a handle is more important than traction. For a chopper, I think it's best to oversize the handle somewhat. A handle that allows the tips of my fingers to touch my palm is too small and causes all sorts of problems. An extra large handle feels weird if you're used to svelte fightery type knives, but when you start swingin it that's where the magic happens

 

[PMQ]

I think that the shape of a handle is more important than traction. For a chopper, I think it's best to oversize the handle somewhat. A handle that allows the tips of my fingers to touch my palm is too small and causes all sorts of problems. An extra large handle feels weird if you're used to svelte fightery type knives, but when you start swingin it that's where the magic happens

My handle has a big palm swell, my middle and ring finger tip can kinda touch my palm, while my index and my pinky can comfortably wrap all around. I'm thinking about making the circumference at my index and pinky even smaller to increase the level of contour. But i'll give it a shot making an oversize handle.

 

[beeinak]

I have never participated in Bladesport competition, but I do use a large chopper to clear tree limbs and small trees frequently and some are pretty large so I swing hard. My ‘off road’ blade is a Mike Deibert chopper and the grip is just amazingly well designed for that type of cutting. It allows for your hand to not ‘need’ a death grip while swinging hard and still maintaining control. I realize swinging on tree limbs and cutting 3-4 thick trees is not what you are doing, but the grip on that knife feels much more secure (even with smooth ironwood) swinging full force than my Fallkniven A2 which I never would have thought. Good luck with your next competition and I hope that folks like Lorien can steer you towards your goal.

 

[C_Claycomb]

How much drop, hook and flare do you have at the butt end of the handle? I know that comp cutting isn’t the same as brush cutting, but parangs do a lot of swinging and are used with a loose grip and they tend to have much more going on at the butt than most knives.

 

[PMQ]

How much drop, hook and flare do you have at the butt end of the handle?

I would call mine a medium drop, below medium hook and below medium flare. I handled the chopper of the winner, his handle has a huge flare at the butt end.

 

[Lorien]

My handle has a big palm swell, my middle and ring finger tip can kinda touch my palm, while my index and my pinky can comfortably wrap all around. I'm thinking about making the circumference at my index and pinky even smaller to increase the level of contour. But i'll give it a shot making an oversize handle.

I took karate when I was a kid and the one and only thing I learned from that which has stayed with me is karate grip. Like when you grab someone's gi with your pinky and ring finger because those fingers do a good job of gripping.
So when I design a knife handle for the type of knife you're talking about I make sure that those outer two fingers have some kind of platform that's more or less in plane with the spine/edge centerline, and angled out slightly to give those two fingertips a ramp to grab. It helps keep the knife from deflecting and gives a solid foundation for your karate fingers.
I don't think that index finger placement really effects your ability to grip a knife engaged in the kind of kinetics we're talking about, and if it does then other areas of the handle need attention. That said, I definitely give that area of the handle a lot of thought because a big chopping knife can also be used for other stuff and that stuff might call for more finesse, front handle manipulation.
The shaping of the palm swell is super important, as it can serve as kind of a wedge keeping the handle from leaping forward in your hand by engaging with that skin webbing between thumb and index fingers when your rear fingers get tired or otherwise lose grip- or for light hits.

I'm a big fan of the forward lanyard. If you set it up right, it's almost like cheating.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Forward lanyard
Some amount of bird's head at the butt
Light palm swell with a narrower waist just before the bird's head.
Ultrex or similar rubber layered laminate handle material. I have used Horse Stall Matting also.

 

[Natlek]

I recently participated in a Bladesport event. The handle, I thought, had pretty good grip. But when I was swinging as hard as I could at the 2x4, the chopper almost few off my hands several times. Had it not been for the lanyard around my wrist, I would definitely flew off.

I think the main problem is that my handle just doesn't have enough traction-grip. I'm planning on upgrading the handle with some sort of rubber inlay to increase the grip. (1) Does anyone know where to look for this thing? I see lots of guy use tyre tubes, but that only works if the butt thin enough to slip in. (2) And how would I glue rubber to wood/g10/micarta, by epoxy or CA glue?

Thanks

I use mine chopper just for fun but I have no problem with grip .Sometimes I will change that rubber with little softer one .This one has cloth inside and it is pretty stiff and little problematic to shape ...

On my parang I have right rubber ...........but I can t find anymore to buy it !!

 

[Richard338]

I made a chopper from stall mat rubber over a micarta liner for the handle and the grip is excellent.
Thinking about starting my son at the gym this year, you might see if your grip needs strengthening. He was limited by grip in several exercises initially. Can you dead hang from a bar for 100 seconds?

 

[Ken H>]

Can you dead hang from a bar for 100 seconds?

That's no problem for me...... as long as my feet have good support

 

[C_Claycomb]

never mind. Reread and rethoughtreply

 

[PMQ]

I made a chopper from stall mat rubber over a micarta liner for the handle and the grip is excellent.
Thinking about starting my son at the gym this year, you might see if your grip needs strengthening. He was limited by grip in several exercises initially. Can you dead hang from a bar for 100 seconds?

I work out quite frequently, 4-5 times a week. I'm by no means Brian Shaw or Eddie Hall strong, but I'm pretty strong. But I agree, better get working with my right grip.

 

[PMQ]

Ultrex or similar rubber layered laminate handle material. I have used Horse Stall Matting also.

I'm thinking about using Ultrex, they seems to have a good reputation.

I've never touch a horse stall matting before, how would you describe it? like rubber but stiffer?

If you use a metal pin, would it feel bumpy? since the metal would not deform like rubber

 

[Richard338]

Horse stall mat is firm rubber with texture on one side. It's about 3/4" thick and comes in 4' x 6' sheets. I used a couple to put some exercise equipment (reverse hyper) on. I wouldn't buy a huge sheet just for knife handles.

 

[fitzo]

Though it does you little good in Vietnam, USAKnifemaker dot com sells smaller sections of horse stall mat.

 

[PMQ]

Though it does you little good in Vietnam, USAKnifemaker dot com sells smaller sections of horse stall mat.

I have a relative living in America, I can ask them to buy and send to me, it takes quite some time and a bit costly, so I want to make the best educated decision.

USAKnifemaker recommend using contact cement to glue horse stall mat, can I use epoxy? Some people advised not using epoxy on rubber because rubber can deform and break the epoxy.

 

[A.McPherson]

There are more flexible epoxy options, like G-Flex...

 

[JoeBusic]

Power griping will diminish the force of the blade. Rubber will burn the skin from the powergrip due to friction and vibration. Chopping is a swing action. Flaring the grip will make hooking the grip easily which will make the chops more forceful and hands healthier. Btw, non powergriping will make the tool work, not the hand. Cuts are straighter, ergo, deeper. Japanese made an art out of it.

 

[Tyson A Wright]

I've never done Bladesport, but I've done a bit of cutting with sharp swords, and a lot of bouting with blunt swords. I don't know of any sword-based martial art, East or West, that uses a super-strong death grip while performing cuts. Generally, the sword is held relatively loosely, with the grip squeezing tight only at the moment of impact. If you set up a pool noodle and then swing at it with a death grip, it just bends, but if you swing at it with proper mechanics the blade will slice right through. (It's important to power your cuts with your hips, and only guide the sword with your shoulders, too - cuts powered by the shoulder tend to be very ineffective, no matter how cool they look in movie swordfights.)

Having a handle that is either fat enough to properly hang on to, or has a mechanical stop (either a ricasso to put your first finger over, or a pommel or wide butt for the base of your hand to rest against) seems to me to be far more likely to improve your handling than adding some kind of high traction surface. Millions of people around the world use cheaply made machetes with smooth wood grips, and they work great for chopping tasks.