One day I got the idea to make some scales to customize my Kershaw chill. I started with some olive wood branches I harvested last summer, but gave up since making some nice slabs by hand without the proper tools was taking way too long (still got them and have plans for it).
Was thinking during the process and thought hmm leather could be cool too. Lets try to make some leather micarta like scales. Checked the different stacked leather handles (some nice examples here) and some methods of making them. Either epoxy or polyester resin is used. So bought some 2 component epoxy (for the curious ones... in dutch).
In my case I didn't want to make a stacked layer of leather, but just a leather slab. Putted the epoxy on one side, waited it to dry, turned it over and did the other side. I repeated the process a number of times with some sanding in between. The epoxy was absorbing sufficiently in the leather and I ended up with a stiff leather/epoxy slab. Then started sanding and polishing it to get the nice leather at the surface again. Now I had some nice scales, but the leather was completely darkened by the epoxy and was almost black... I thought the original brown color would become visible again with the sanding, but it didn't. Finally I threw the leather scales away because I already had black scales on my knife and didn't see the need to waste time on them anymore.
But still kept wondering how I could make leather slabs without the problem of darkening them. I want to experiment a bit more again and recently I got another idea for making scales as well. But want to ask if people have experience with it and which glue they use. And which advantages/disadvantages they find.
yes I know there are quite some tutorials on gluetube
as well.
Was thinking during the process and thought hmm leather could be cool too. Lets try to make some leather micarta like scales. Checked the different stacked leather handles (some nice examples here) and some methods of making them. Either epoxy or polyester resin is used. So bought some 2 component epoxy (for the curious ones... in dutch).
In my case I didn't want to make a stacked layer of leather, but just a leather slab. Putted the epoxy on one side, waited it to dry, turned it over and did the other side. I repeated the process a number of times with some sanding in between. The epoxy was absorbing sufficiently in the leather and I ended up with a stiff leather/epoxy slab. Then started sanding and polishing it to get the nice leather at the surface again. Now I had some nice scales, but the leather was completely darkened by the epoxy and was almost black... I thought the original brown color would become visible again with the sanding, but it didn't. Finally I threw the leather scales away because I already had black scales on my knife and didn't see the need to waste time on them anymore.
But still kept wondering how I could make leather slabs without the problem of darkening them. I want to experiment a bit more again and recently I got another idea for making scales as well. But want to ask if people have experience with it and which glue they use. And which advantages/disadvantages they find.
yes I know there are quite some tutorials on gluetube
as well.
