ok guys im doing my first 2 knives and im working on a idea for 1 of the handles..they are both 3 rivet handles so i want to take and cover the rivet by the lanyard hole with a 270 winchester casing thats cut down so the brass head stamp will show in the scales(scales will be dark walnut).my dilema is this..if i put the head of the case flush with the scale and then sand the scale it will take away from the head stamp on the brass case..so i will wait till last to insert the case over the rivet.now should i make the head of the case lower than the surface of the scale and fill with a clear epoxy to get a smooth finished texture? i have not decided if i will paint the scales with clear epoxy or just use a oil finish to bring out the grain in the wood...kinda a big project for my first handle but i will take my time and be very slow...lol..any info would be greatly appreciated and pics if anyone has done something like this before.
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handle help
- Thread starter maniac132
- Start date
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith
ilmarinen - MODERATOR
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I would suggest you make the handle with plain rivets this time.
After you have learned a bit more about handle shaping and knifemaking .... then you can try some fancy tricks like bullet rivets.
When I do a bullet rivet, I put it in the center hole. I make the knife with only two regular (I use Corby) rivets and leave the hole for the shell casing empty. I make this hole a tad smaller than the shell casing ends. I then finish the handle and do all shaping and such. Once the handle is completely done. I ream the hole from both sides to get a perfect fit, and press in the shell casing ends with a little epoxy smeared in the hole to hold them snug. Do some test fits on a piece of similar wood to get the hang of it before doing it on the knife.
NOTE:
Just like mosaic rivets, be sure to "clock" the casing ends. They should be facing so they read right ( for instance - "POWER*SHOCK"), and both are the same orientation. When you use mosaic rivets, make sure all are aligned to show the same pattern before you let the epoxy cure. On mosaic rivets, I saw a line across the end that goes from 12:00 to 6:00. This makes installation easy, and a screwdriver can turn the rivet to align it.
After you have learned a bit more about handle shaping and knifemaking .... then you can try some fancy tricks like bullet rivets.
When I do a bullet rivet, I put it in the center hole. I make the knife with only two regular (I use Corby) rivets and leave the hole for the shell casing empty. I make this hole a tad smaller than the shell casing ends. I then finish the handle and do all shaping and such. Once the handle is completely done. I ream the hole from both sides to get a perfect fit, and press in the shell casing ends with a little epoxy smeared in the hole to hold them snug. Do some test fits on a piece of similar wood to get the hang of it before doing it on the knife.
NOTE:
Just like mosaic rivets, be sure to "clock" the casing ends. They should be facing so they read right ( for instance - "POWER*SHOCK"), and both are the same orientation. When you use mosaic rivets, make sure all are aligned to show the same pattern before you let the epoxy cure. On mosaic rivets, I saw a line across the end that goes from 12:00 to 6:00. This makes installation easy, and a screwdriver can turn the rivet to align it.