Exotic or Stabilized Wood for Handles?

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Namaste everyone!

I am considering a year 2000 project to rehandle one or more of my blems with either an exotic wood or one of the stabilized woods available. Has anyone had any experience with this that could be shared with the forum?

Thank you in advance for your replies.

Harry
 
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Harry the first step is to determine if the block of stabilized wood or Dymondwood is big enough to fit your khukuri and it's bolster and butt cap.
This is also a good time to consider putting on a steel butt cap if so desired.
You can rough out the piece you want
to replace the original handle with while it is still on the khuk.

File the exposed tang down enough to get the keeper off then place the handle of the khuk in a pan of boiling water.It usually takes 10 to 15 minutes for the Himalayan epoxy to melt where you can Carefully with old rags or whatever remove the handle.
Usually the butt cap will come of first,then the handle and bolster will come off together.Be sure and seperate them while hot or you will have to reheat them to get it apart.

I use a piece of duct tape to hold the liquid epoxy in while also holdng the cleaned out bolster steady.
I also tape the complete handle where it doesn't contact the epoxy.
If using a Scrolled buttcap I tape the exposed parts of it too.
I have some strips of tape precut for after putting the handle together and wrap it at the intersection of the handle and butt cap and bolster completely encasing all the handle parts in tape.
If you're using a 2 hour epoxy you can safely remove the tape at about 1 1/2 hours and trim up any epoxy that needs it.

Be sure and "dry fit" everything and insure that you have a bit of tang sticking out the keeper.You only need a 1/32" or so depending on how much you need to peen over the keeper on top the butt cap.
I usually allow a tad more than that to peen the steel Well Over thekeeper covering up the hole and the part where I filed it off.

If you have any further questions feel free to ask.
I have been using the 30 minute epoxy,but I finally found where I can buy the 2 hour stuff.
I think either one of these is strong enough to hold for 10 lifetimes.
smile.gif



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>>>>---¥vsa---->®

If you mix milk of magnesia with vodka and orange juice do you get a phillips screwdriver?

Khukuri FAQ


 
¥vsa, thank you for the advice. I was thinking that the custom handle that I would fit to my grip would go on to the tang which would be threaded to accept a screw-on retainer. The nice thing about this is I could make several different handles and it would be a just a moment's work to swap the current handle for another one. The concern I have would be whether the tang steel is hard enough to hold the thread without stripping being a problem.

Harry
 
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You're Welcome Harry!!
I think the tang would do well with threads on it.
If you made the handles just right you could put an "acorn" nut on it to keep the sharp edges of the threads from showing and protect them from damage.
It would depend on the size of the tang,but I think most of them would ,after being rounded off a bit,accept a 1/4"-20 thread or the equivilent in metric.
smile.gif

After all it is spring steel wre working with!!

That's an interesting concept and one I wouldn't have thought of.It is very doable.I wonder how the threads and the nut would stand up to heavy use while chopping??


PS I think it would also be good to put a more solid bolster or guard on in pace of the original.The brass the kamis use is tougher than most of our brass,but it is after all a thinner,about 0.040" thick,piece of brass.
I am considerng putting a sort of rounded guard on one one of these days.
I saw a similar one in one of my knif books that was used on a skinning,butcher knife.It is very durable and smallish enough to protect without gettng in the way.

Hope this helps!!
------------------
>>>>---¥vsa---->®

If you mix milk of magnesia with vodka and orange juice do you get a phillips screwdriver?

Khukuri FAQ




[This message has been edited by Yvsa (edited 31 December 1999).]
 
If I were going to put a threaded retainer on the tang I think I might be tempted to harden the end of the tang a bit. Acorn nut would be the way to go.

In the past I welded a keeper on the end of the tang but that was for keeps -- no changing handles with that method. But this was done almost ten years ago and no loose buttcaps or handles!

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Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ

 
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