Ganga Ram with new handle

Andrew Colglazier

Andrew Colglazier

Joined
Sep 14, 2006
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4,409
I bought a handleless Ganga Ram on a DOTD a few weeks ago. I have since put a handle on it (stacked leather), and put it to work.

We have a small fruit orchard on our property, and there are some old mesquite stumps still which put forth branches every year which have to be cut back. Here are a few pics of the knife from that activity.

The handle has held up very well and is very comfortable, especially when wearing gloves.

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This knife is about 16" OAL with a 10" blade. It's nice and beefy without being overwhelming. When I got the blade it wasn't very sharp, but that's fine as I don't like to work on a sharp blade. It did sharpen up on my belt grinder just fine, though, and even while chopping some very old, hard mesquite, it showed no dulling.

I'm very happy with this blade. I only have two GR khuks. I am partial to Pen knives for farm work, but these GRs are giving them a run for their money! :thumbup:

Andy
 
How did you make that handle? That looks wonderfully comfortable. How do you think that Ganga Ram would compare to a pen knife of equal size?
 
Really nice looking work, Andy:thumbup:
Looks really handsome and comfortable, nust be a good shock absorber too. What's the hand shock difference between a gloved hand and bare?

:D
Mark
 
MagenDavid said:
How did you make that handle? That looks wonderfully comfortable. How do you think that Ganga Ram would compare to a pen knife of equal size?
Click to expand...

The handle wasn't difficult. It took some mild steel strapping, lots of leather scraps, a drill press, a vise, a short length of1" pipe, a heavy hammer, and a medium ball peen hammer.

Once the leather scraps were cut into roughly 2"x2" squares, I punched holes through the middle of them, you could use a drill for this.

The guard piece was ground to rough shape (you could use an angle grinder for this), and a hole for the tang was drilled. The guard piece was pounded into place on the tang for a nice, tight fit, the leather pieces were put on the tang and pounded down tight using the pipe and the heavy hammer. Then, the buttcap was rough ground, drilled, and put into place on the tang, then pounded into place. Then the tang was peened over the buttcap.

I used a belt grinder to rough shape the handle, then clamped the blade in a vise and finished shaping with strips of 50 grit,. 1" belts. When the handle was close to final shape, I switched to 220 and fine foam sanding pads, and a file to finish the shape.

Then I applied the finish, which consisted of brown dye, briwax, and superglue.

The GR models are a more traditional shape than the Pen. It has a more curved shape, and it is a heavier blade. A Ganga and a Pen of equal length, the Pen would be lighter in weight and would weigh less.

Andy
 
An inspiration to those of us not all that capable with our hands but prepared to take on chance on a 'blem! :thumbup:
 
greenwoods said:
Really nice looking work, Andy:thumbup:
Looks really handsome and comfortable, nust be a good shock absorber too. What's the hand shock difference between a gloved hand and bare?

:D
Mark
Click to expand...

Thanks, Mark!

I almost always wear gloves when working. The stuff I have to cut around here is toothy, lots of spiny thorny stuff, very hard on the hands.

I'm not totally sure the gloves make a difference as far as shock absorption goes, but the gloves I use do improve grip, just plain easier to hold on to the knife. That reduces hand and arm fatigue. I have very dry hands, so I get a lot of slippage when I chop. The gloves reduce that a great deal.

Andy
 
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