Finished my RMD re handling! Check it out!

Huntsman Knife Co. LLC.

Huntsman Knife Co. LLC.

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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Sep 10, 2010
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The whole job took alot longer and cost alot more than I thought it would but Im pretty happy with the results. It feels AMAZING in hand. its thicker than the standard scales and has a slight middle palm swell.

However I don't like the color that the bolster turned out being. Maybe it will darken over time but I should have used tan canvas instead.

I finished it with a generic wood finish but I think I am going to redo it with some linseed oil. I don't quite like how the finish looks, its a bit to shiney and not natural enough.

Anyways here are some pics.

photo-31.jpg

photo-30.jpg

photo-29.jpg


See how its kind of too shiny? I want a more subdued natural look.
photo-28.jpg
 
Nice work my friend...I love KOA, it's porous as heck isn't it. To finish KOA on a knife handle I recommend several stages of oil and ultra fine sanding, finished with a wood wax buffing to really bring out the 3D of KOA. The wax is not necessary, but looks good and is very easy to rework in the future if scratched/dinged/etc, unlike polyurethane, lacquer, etc.. I've use birchwood Tru Oil with good success, about 5 stages of application, following by light sanding with 2000-3000 grit...to fill in the pores. Just recently rehandled a 70 yr old Chef's knife in KOA...turned out great...planning handling a spyderco mule in KOA next.

Very nice work again..I understand how long that process is...congrats! It turned out Great!
 
Thanks for the advice! I have done very little work with wood so Ive got alot to learn about finishes. I am going to sand off the lacquer and try some oil. I also need to sand higher, I only went to 400 grit.

The bolster is called butterscotch micarta. Its a really neat looking material but I don't know how well I like it with the Koa. Its layered cotton, not canvas so It has a little bit smoother look. It looks very nice in person and is darker than it looks in the photos.
 
Last question...have you found an easier way to remove the old handles, i.e., other than prying, chisel, hack saw method?
 
I take a .25 drill bit and drill them out. Its really fast with a drill press and doesn't harm the knife. Ive also do it with a hand held drill to do it. The Swamp makes sure their handles dont come off!
 
Nice, way better than cave man style. Are the tang holes exactly 0.25"? In your experience are the tang holes universal on all Busse kin? Ok, that was the last question, sorry to bug ya...
 
The tang holes are exactly 1/4th. A .25 drill bit will go perfectly though and not touch the metal on the handle. And I think all newer busse's are .25.
 
Wow dude, that looks badass... A custom MAGNUM ratmandu :D

I think the handle looks awesome already :)
 
Great job! I've been debating attempting to re-handle a few of mine, but have yet to decide which material I would use.
 
Hunter,
That look's great. It is a little shiny, but not a big deal. I think the linseed oil will get it to where you want it. It bring's out the color and detail of the wood without the excessive shine.
 
Looks beautiful. Osage orange would have looked great as a replacement for the butterscotch micarta.
 
Went out and used it a little in the back yard. The handle is very, very comfortable. Comfort wise it turned out perfect. I sanded off most of the lacquer to give it a more natural look. Im going to do an oil finish later this week.

I think for my next RMD im going to do underground Koa with and orange liner and natural canvas micarta pins.

photo-32.jpg

photo-33.jpg
 
I dunno, Hunter... I mean, it looks cool and you did a good job :thumbup: no doubt about it, but it looks cool "separately" if you know what I mean... for some reason I don't see those handles working on that blade shape or finish, or maybe it's something else I can't quite put my finger on. I guess the look of the handles is more primitive while the blade seems more tactical and modern.

No offense at all. Just my dumb opinions :o all that matters is you like it. I'm still impressed with all that stuff going on in the handles!

Edit: Maybe it's the finger guard and choil. I wonder if grinding the guard off so that the handle flows into the choil would make it look more fitting, sort of like the SAR 5 but with the contours of the Swamp Rat handle.
sar%25205%2520RMD.jpg


Maybe it's just my taste :) you'd probably have to shorten the tang and move the scales forward some...
sar%25205%2520RMD%2520short.jpg


I think I'll do this mod to mine :)
 
Last edited:
uyotg said:
I dunno, Hunter... I mean, it looks cool and you did a good job :thumbup: no doubt about it, but it looks cool "separately" if you know what I mean... for some reason I don't see those handles working on that blade shape or finish, or maybe it's something else I can't quite put my finger on. I guess the look of the handles is more primitive while the blade seems more tactical and modern.

No offense at all. Just my dumb opinions :o all that matters is you like it. I'm still impressed with all that stuff going on in the handles!

Edit: Maybe it's the finger guard and choil. I wonder if grinding the guard off so that the handle flows into the choil would make it look more fitting, sort of like the SAR 5 but with the contours of the Swamp Rat handle.
Click to expand...

Gary,

I know what you mean. I should have put the handle one of the RMD LE's with the standard blade shape. The swedge does make it look a bit aggressive for a more old timey kind of handle. It doesn't quite go together as smoothly as I would have liked. The swedge is great for striking fire steel though!

A more traditional flowing blade shape like a drop point or Nessie would be better with this handle. I think Im going to re handle one of the RMD LE's next and see how it looks.
 
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