Cuts Like A Kris - It is real easy to do the spiral flutes. Order a piece of the synthetic ivory or white pearl from K&G or another supplier.It works very easily by hand, and is a dream to polish. It looks so good when done that it is amazing. Drill out the tang hole with a 1/4" drill (to establish a true center), and fit it to your tang first. If you have a lathe,turn the block to a tapered cylinder about 10% fatter than desired. If no lathe, just sand/grind/file it to the cylinder shape. Now, take a pencil and mark four lines from the top to bottom down the sides at 90 degree separation.We will call these A,B,C,and D. Now mark a circle around the cylinder at the center . Wrap a piece of tape around the cylinder,starting at A going down and around to intersect B at the center circle and continuing to C at the bottom. Repeat for the other three spiral lines. Now you have a tapered cylinder with four flutes drawn.Give it a light spray with Varathane or lacquer to keep the lines from rubbing off. Using a 1/4-3/8" round file, start at the top and start making a groove on the lines. Just take a little at a time on each line until you have four shallow "U" grooves. Now take a tapered half-round file and start widening and deepening the grooves. It goes fast, but do each one a bit and then the next,etc. Don't take too much from any one at a time. When the flutes finally are the depth you like, and meet at a ridge crest that spirals down the handle, start sanding with abrasive paper rolled into a small tube. Put a rubber band on each end, and just use it like a round file. Go to 800 grit and make everything blemish free. Now take a flat file and carefully flatten each ridge crest so it is about 3mm wide. Using a triangular needle file, cut a channel down this flat. Use a "V" needle file to deepen the groove. Now you have the channel for the wire to go down. Finish making the guards and butt caps (if there are any) and have everything so it is right. Take the handle and drill small holes (just big enough for the wire to stick in), about 6-10mm deep, on the ends (NOT on the side where the flute is),just in about 4mm from the wire groove. Angle these holes slightly toward the center.Use the needle file to add a notch to connect the holes with the wire channel (If there is just a round end ,and no butt cap, make these holes straight in from the side at the end of the wire channel at the butt). Starting at the butt end, Stick the wire end in the hole, bend at 90 degrees to bring out to the edge, bend into the channel, pulling on the wire a bit - spiral down the flute to the bottom, bend in, clip off leaving about 6mm, bent this tip and stick it in the hole. Add a drop of super glue to lock in the wire. Repeat for other flutes. BTW,Tap the wire in the grooves as you go, to seat it snug.
Polish with white rouge, or no scratch pink polish.
With silver wire, you just smooth and polish the wire while polishing the handle. With red lacquered wire you will have to do the polishing all prior to the wire being installed.Here are some alternatives to using red lacquered wire:
Use gold wire.
Fill the wire groove with red epoxy and sand to a smooth red line.
Use copper wire.
Use a red/white acrylic material to make the handle in, and use twisted silver wire - this is a classic look.
Use red acrylic end blocks (bolster and cap) and a white center block to make the handle.
Hope this helps - Stacy
