Converting a Mora to full tang and custom handles--promised in the PIF thread

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spydercobenchmadekai

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Sep 26, 2013
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Here it is! This is where I attempt to convert a Mora into a full tang knife with custom scales. The Mora is a carbon steel "Companion Heavy Duty" that I purchased just for this conversion.

Step 1: I removed the plastic handle with chisels and saws:



Step 2: Cut a notch in the 01 steel with a dremmel. The slot is slightly larger but fits the shape of the tang:



Step 3: Weld the tang into the new steel using an oxy acetylene torch:



Close up of the weld:



That's as far as I am now. More later including profiling the handle, making maple scales, and finishing.
 
Wont the heat from the welding ruin the heat treating on the blade? I dont mean to be a negative nellie.
 
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I'm a welder myself and I have to wonder what your plan is as far as the HT being ruined? Will you attempt to re-HT it or just go with it? I've done more than my share of experimenting back when I didn't have to buy my own materials and I can tell you for a fact that th damage extends well beyond the colored line.

Edit: I typed this a few hours ago but forgot to hit post...

Anyway the discoloring won't happen below 200*, that blade has clearly been above 200. What wire (type and size) and gas are you using? Is that a carbon or stainless mora blade?
 
I don't think that I'll redo the HT--although I have done my own HT on 01. The water on the blade never boiled--so the HT should be fine, right? Fell free to correct me if I am wrong.
 
If the blade turned blue like that it ruined the HT, wether or not water that was sitting on the blade boiled isn't an sort of indicator, discoloration is the number 1 indicator of the metal being burned.

Still curious the wire (type and size) as well as the gas your using.
 
Cereal_killer said:
If the blade turned blue like that it ruined the HT, wether or not water that was sitting on the blade boiled isn't an sort of indicator, discoloration is the number 1 indicator of the metal being burned.

Still curious the wire (type and size) as well as the gas your using.
Click to expand...

Ok--thanks for the heads up. The welder uses a mix of acetylene and oxygen. I'm not sure what you mean by wire size?

It's a carbon Mora blade, and it is welded to 01 carbon steel. The steel used in the carbon Moras is supposed to be simmilar to 1095, which is supposed to be simmilar to 01. In which case the HT procedure would be the same, right? For 01, I heat the steel to 1,500 using a kiln, then oil quench it, allow it to cool, then temper it at about 425 in an oven.
 
Can you practice on some scrap O1 to run a tighter grain bead than that? Right now it just looks like a big mushy weld pool.

I would just go ahead and finish the project before worrying about HT. Just assume that it's ruined and carry on. Sort that problem out after.

You may have to make more than go of it.
 
Your blade isn't ruined, it just isn't as good as it used to be. The blade isn't burnt but it has a thin oxide coating that will polish off. A slight bonus is that the blade is a little tougher. The blue color would be a spring temper with a steel like 1075. You need to practice your welds first. I'd ask advice from someone with oxyacetylene experience. A couple of decades ago I could have run a nice bead around it but I would have cut the pattern out first and tacked it into place. Clamp the blade into place in a large vise with lead lined jaws. Wet it down if you like. When the lead starts to melt it is getting too hot.
 
Ok. I think I won't HT. One fewer blades wating to be finished that way!

Here is the next step:
Cut out the general shape with the dremel. Grind it to shape on the bench grinder. Grind the welded area flat on the belt grinder.

 
It came out better than I thought it would. Are you going to fill in the voids with epoxy, JB weld?
 
The next step is making scales. I started with massive (4+ foot diameter) slabs cut from maple trees. After much work with axes, hatchets, and knives, here is the product:



Next up is flattening the scales with rasps and planes:



Then smoothing them on the belt sander:



And here is a picture of a knife with scales made using the same method so that you can see what they'll look like. The scales have been sanded and varnished.

 
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