Fix a shrunken wooden CAK handle?

O

ogriso

Joined
Dec 11, 2012
Messages
60
Hi guys, the wooden handle on my beloved CAK has shrunk a bit and it is pretty uncomfortable, the tang now protrudes past the wood scales and bites into my hand when chopping.

I don't want to wrap the handle in something (I like the handle the way it is, except for the now protruding tang.), I just want to remove the steel that is protruding past the wood scales.

What I can use is some diffrent grits of sandpaper, a couple of files and some wood oil. Do you guys have any tips on how to do this with what I have? I've never fixed a handle before and I might end up making it worse so I hope you guys can help me with this.

Thanks in advance! :)
 
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easy solution is parachord or leather , i think that was mainly sheath but it applies to handle as well from other thread, you could even use good copper wire?
 
I've already tried paracord but the shape of the handle makes the wrap too bulky for my taste if I were to wrap it completely (which is needed or else the tang will still eat my hand), as for leather and copper wire, I don't have access to either, I only have access to some diffrent grit sandpaper, some files and wood oil so I was thinking of maybe sanding it down, but I'm not sure how to go with it and I may end up ruining the nice wood.

Thanks for the tip! though I should have specified what I wanted to do with the handle from the start, sorry.
 
One possible solution I've wondered about is repeated applications of boiled linseed oil, or many just soaking it in the stuff for a few days. Never tried it, but seems like it might work.
 
Try getting some hemp cord. You can pick a TON for pretty cheap at a crafts store. If you take the time to braid about 5 feet of it, it would make a perfect wrap. It's thin, relatively strong, cheap, and has a nice texture. It looks good to! Especially if you wrap some of your sheath with it. I did it to my kagag katne, and wrapped the part of the sheath right above where the frog connects to the sheath, in a 1/2 inch strip. It looks pretty good.
 
I would try John T's idea first. nourish that wood. Soak it or apply oil over and over.

If you sand I would find some of the paper in strips, or cut your sheets into strips, like 1/2" or 1" or so. Clamp the blade in a padded vise and use a shoe shine motion. By doing that you can maintain the original shape. For the grooves and high spots I use paper on a slim taper file or knife edge would work, so you can get in the corners without rounding everything off.

If after soaking it doesn't come back to original size you can sand it and then file the butt cap down to fit properly again. Then keep it oiled/ nourished regularly and you shouldn't have to do this ever again.
 
This is not the type of thing I would recommend you doing for your first time working on a khukuri.
The best thing to do is to do proper care of your khukuri. Proper maintenance is mandatory for items of carbon steel and natural materials.
Horn handles should be regularly cleaned and hydrated with mineral oil or hooflex. Wood handles should be treated with your preferred oil based wood preservative.

To fix this problem requires a bit of knowledge, technique and care. I have done a few of these.
How I fix them is to grind the tang flush with the handle material.
I first use a dremel with a small grinding stone on it. Then I remove the roughness this causes with a drum sander with approx. 400 grit sandpaper on it. Care is taken to remove most of the scratches. Then I buff the whole thing out again with my buffing wheel on a 1750rpm elec. motor.
 
I'll try soaking it with oil a couple of times and if that doesn't do it I'll have to sand it down very carefully following Kardas and Bawannas advice.

Thanks alot for the help everyone! :D
 
Small files work very well on 5160 steel, especially when unhardened, which would be the case for the tang.

I would mask off the wood with several layers of tape (I use blue painter's tape, since it comes off easily, but any tape will do).

File off the edges of the exposed tang. Take your time. I would do this by hand, since you only need to remove a small amount of steel. Then finish with progressively finer grits of sandpaper. It's probably safer (for you and your knife) to avoid power tools unless there is too much steel to remove by hand-filing.

If you clamp the blade in a vice, pad the sides, as Bawanna recommends. If you prefer to hold the knife while filing/sanding, make sure to tape the edge very securely so you end up with the same number of fingers that you start with.

If any of the wood gets marred in the process, you can sand it back to the desired smoothness.
 
Wooden handle can be treated with boiled linseed oil, and I have used Rem Oil (a gun oil product) to good effect. Use an oil or wax that is petroleum or synthetic based, to keep the oil from going rancid.
 
I tried soaking the handle in oil over a couple of days, but it barely did anything to it. And so, yesterday I visited my beloved and very kind grandfather and he let me borrow his workshop and tools, he also gave me some good advice while I was working on the handle.
I filed down the tang with a couple of diffrent files, and then sanded it with finer and finer grits of sandpaper until I was satisfied with it.

Here are some pictures of it, and in my opinion I think it turned out pretty good for being the first time ever doing something like this.

Right side of the handle:
IMG_0121_zps04994e9e.jpg


Left side of the handle:
IMG_0123_zps88a0610b.jpg


Front of the handle:
IMG_0124_zps9dc40065.jpg


Back of the handle:
IMG_0126_zps793351db.jpg


The CAK in its usual location:
IMG_0127_zpsf3ca1f2e.jpg



Thank you again everyone for the help and great advice! I really appreciate it! :D
 
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Your doing this to tease me right. I can't see any pictures.

Also did you get my visitor message to you a couple days ago? I'm aching for these pictures.
 
Bawanna said:
Your doing this to tease me right. I can't see any pictures.

Also did you get my visitor message to you a couple days ago? I'm aching for these pictures.
Click to expand...

Sorry, the pictures didn't work, but I fixed them.

About the visitor message, I had no idea about it until now, sorry, I'll look at it right away.
 
That's way more better and it looks like you did a superb job. Looks great.
I love the little rack you keep it on. I've been pondering and head scratching on some kind of stand. Taking into consideration lack of display space and safety. We seldom get them but have had an earthquake or two in these parts and I don't want to be dodging Khuk's if we have another.
Contemplating blade down, blade up, I like your blade up, the edge isn't resting on anything.

Guess I'll contemplate some more and when I end up with something I'll share by victory or agony of defeat if I fail.
 
Bawanna said:
That's way more better and it looks like you did a superb job. Looks great.
I love the little rack you keep it on. I've been pondering and head scratching on some kind of stand. Taking into consideration lack of display space and safety. We seldom get them but have had an earthquake or two in these parts and I don't want to be dodging Khuk's if we have another.
Contemplating blade down, blade up, I like your blade up, the edge isn't resting on anything.

Guess I'll contemplate some more and when I end up with something I'll share by victory or agony of defeat if I fail.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the kind words! :)

Bawanna said:
I don't want to be dodging Khuk's if we have another.
Click to expand...
When reading this, a very comedic picture appeared in my mind and made me laugh :D, no offense though, earthquakes are a serious business, and I hope the ones you had weren't big.
Every time I hear about earthquakes, hurricanes and such, I'm happy I live in Sweden, since we have neither of those here.

If you end up getting a stand, I recommend having your blades face down if you place them in an area you move around alot in for safety, I'd much rather have a bruised arm than a severed one if I were to trip for some reason. If you place them in an area you don't move around in alot, I recommend having the blades face up because, as you said, the edge isn't resting on anything, and also you don't put any marks on the stand.
 
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