Fallkniven F1 Pro - The Making of a Custom Handle

C

Cryptyc

Joined
Sep 24, 2013
Messages
1,241
Ok knife peeps! I have decided that it was time to make my F1 Pro, just about perfect for me. This was not an easy decision for me. I was very nervous about cutting off the thin rubber handle and doing a new one. I was nervous because I have never done a knife handle before and also because this particular knife has a hidden tang! For me that meant that I would have to hide the whole tang and basically be responsible for forming the handle and contouring it (ie, not having a whole exposed pre-shaped tang to follow with scales).

In watching videos on youtube, I determined that epoxy soaked jute would be my best option to get a solid handle that I could then shape whatever way I'd want and be extremely durable.

I went to Lowes and got $20 worth of supplies:
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I viced up the F1 Pro (blade covered for safety and protection) and used a Mora to cut off the old grip. Basically, all you do is cut along the top of the tang that is exposed and peel off the rest. Literally, it just peels off:
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Now, I've never used this resin or done a knife handle so I was really focused and forgot to take pics of a couple crucial steps that I did here. I scratched up the tang with very coarse sand paper, which is crucial in my opinion. The epoxy and jute will adhere much better that way. I also degreased the area.

Ok, things went not so great lol. The resin hardened wayyyyy faster than I expected. I did not get to finish wrapping as far as I wanted. I stopped trying to add resin when it basically became jelly chunks.
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I corrected the issue by waiting for the resin to cure then using a dremel I cut into the rear section making it smaller and jagged. I added more resin and jute to finish the wrap and it worked very well!!!! Crisis averted. I was anxious and forgot to take pictures of how that looked, but here is how it looked after hitting the sander quick:
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Ok, so I basically used it to start getting the shape and contour I was looking for then moved to sandpaper and hand sanding.
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More sanding. Basically I just kept sanding and forming with gripping the knife in between sessions to make sure I was fitting it for my hand specifically:
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More sanding hahahaha:
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Here's how it looked as of yesterday:
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Now, I'm not done. I still have a lot to do, but you can see how it is forming up to be pretty nice in my opinion. It feels amazing in my hands!!!! Almost like I made it for myself HA. I filled the gaps in the resin with more resin and will give it a final sanding then full on polish sometime in the next couple of days. I will then use the linseed oil to give it a nice shine and show the deep greens and 3d effects of the jute and resin. I'll post the final look when I finish up! This is my WIP.
 
no kidding? the handle is just epoxy soaked jute? would never have guessed that from the picture i saw previous. and, i never would have thought of this method either.

i am guessing that it will get trick to "clean up" where the jute handle transitions to the guard. will be interested to hear more about your struggles/successes in that area.

thanks very much for posting this Cryptyc.
 
I can tell you right now, that part is definitely the hardest. I am hoping as I use finer grit sandpaper and start focusing on blending to the bolster, it will look nice and flow well. We shall see! I'll continue to post updates as I go.
 
Very interesting, looks nice!

Did you wrap then soak in resin, or soak the jute first? Also, please use a respirator when you sand!
 
Sodak,
Yes, I used a respirator and eye-protection. I at least knew that much Hahahaha.

I did both with the jute. I was dipping it in the epoxy then wrapping it, then adding more epoxy once it was wrapped. I figured the more the merrier. It was messy.
 
Thanks for this tutorial. Your knife looks great. I've never been a fan of the rubberlike handles. Yours look much better. It also looks as though the new handles are quite a bit thicker -- also a good thing.
 
Twindog,
Thank you for the kind words. The handles are much thicker which I like, but I have run into a problem. I am now not able to use my preferred sheath with the handles in their current form. I am thinking I am going to have to reshape/thin them down a bit!
 
Well dammit, I am now reshaping/thinning out the grip. I now have it to where I need it to work with my combat master sheath (the dimensions allow the retention strap to work well):

Rough:
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Starting to polish:
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I removed A LOT of material. The grip is significantly thinner than it was, but still much more contoured and thicker than the factory grip. I'll have to do some minor gap filling before my final polish etc. Hope to have it done in the next couple days.
 
Ok, finished! It now works with my sheath and also looks cool. I used some dye with the resin to make some black on the handle then sanded it all down to make it look worn. The green just looked too pretty for me. Anyhow, here’s the final product:

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Finished polishing up my bolster and did more polishing on my handle last night. Been using it for random crap this AM. Feels amazing in hand. Most of the black resin is gone (except some in the strands of the handle, looks great). This knife feels amazing!!!

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Decided it was too slick with a polished handle so I went with a plasti dip. Added some media to give it a bit of texture. Perfecto:
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Last edited:
Well, many many year update! This knife is still going strong. It’s my son’s favorite knife and has been his for the past 5 years. He uses it for hunting and sent me a photo this past season that I thought was awesome. *blood warning*

As you can see there is some more texturing on the handle, but it’s still kicking and strong as a tank!!!

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