Ever see one of these before? Of course it's a knife.

[SPHayes]

Don,
Thats nice work on those scales. Could you please elaborate on your technique?
Oh and to stay on topic I bought a Colonial camp knife with folding fork and spoon at a yard sale for my 4 year old son. He love it and eats many of his meals with it.
Thanks
Patrick

 

[Don Luis]

...Could you please elaborate on your technique?...

I used simple two part epoxy putty from the hardware store (not the 5 minute kind).

The putty tends to stick to hands, but is easy to work with hands slightly wet, so keep a small container with water handy.

The process:

Remove the old scales and check that the knife is clean and dry.

Do one side and let it harden (could take a few hours or more), then do the other side.

Mix enough epoxy for one side, roll it in long pieces and apply by pressing it on to the knife, as you apply more, blend it all together.

Make sure the whole scale is covered and even, it's OK if it goes a little beyond the edges as it is easy to sand down later.

Mold in jigging or whatever, I used fingernails to press in the marks in the knife with the coin, the one with the deeper "stag" like texture I pressed in with a small "V" shaped gouge, then worked it with a dremel and sandpaper once dry.

For a shield carve out the approximate shape while the epoxy is still soft, press in the shield and shape the area around it even and fill any gaps.

I use leather dye to paint over after dry, I has held fine, though it is wearing off in a SAK that I did and use more often, I have tried blending in the dye while mixing the putty but it hasn't worked, I have also tried putting a coat of clear epoxy over the finished scales and it works but the coat has to be very thin or it will form bubbles and irregularities.

The "marbled" look in the camper with bolsters and the Barlow was because I used a very old two part black and white putty that was drying out and did not mix well, these ones took a long time to dry hard (weeks) but they came out fine.

I hope I am not hijacking the thread much...

Luis

 

[T. Erdelyi]

In my book any info is good info, the thread is still pretty much on topic.

I actually like the epoxy idea, I have some older knives I've been saving them for parts but epoxy scales would bring a couple of them back to life.

Any idea about the durability of the epoxy?

 

[Don Luis]

Any idea about the durability of the epoxy?

I'm sure it is very durable.

You know I started with the epoxy putty when the plastic scales in my shell handled Barlow broke, It had happened before in the two campers and I had pulled out the sheet metal scales and put in wood handles, but for the Barlow I wanted to keep the bolsters for looks, so I thought about molding something to replace the broken plastic. I liked it so much that I ended up re-doing the campers and some others.

The epoxy putty dries hard and tough, much better than the original plastic in the shell handles and some other handle materials. The only problem I've had is with the SAK where the finish is coming off, best would be to leave the original color of the putty, I have found light blue, light green, brown and gray though some has been the 5 minute kind which has to be worked fast, next best is a thin, clear epoxy coat, for this I mix some clear epoxy glue and press it hard on the handles with my fingertips.

Luis