Handle help

A picture would probably help get you some assistance, especially if you're going to attempt repair, but your best bet is to contact Yangdu directly:
Yangdu Martino
himimp@aol.com
Good luck.
 
All of the above. Need to see how badly it's shrunk, how badly it's cracked etc. Glad to help if there's any way I can.
 
Did you purchased this knife from online store?
 
ron finkbeiner jr said:
Hi, I have a kukri I bought from HI and the handle has shrunk and even cracked. Any advice on how to proceed? Thanks
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My horn cracked, I'm going to put some gorilla glue in there and call it a day. I'll keep an eye on it but otherwise it should last a but, based on prior experiences doing this.

If the get loose, then it's bad news.

I find this earlier this week while I was messing around in the backyard with it. I'll be liberal with application and hand sand smooth if I need to. I've filled in quite a few handle gaps in inexpensive machetes and such and it's worked well.

20250517_132840.jpg
 
bikerector said:
My horn cracked, I'm going to put some gorilla glue in there and call it a day. I'll keep an eye on it but otherwise it should last a but, based on prior experiences doing this.

If the get loose, then it's bad news.

I find this earlier this week while I was messing around in the backyard with it. I'll be liberal with application and hand sand smooth if I need to. I've filled in quite a few handle gaps in inexpensive machetes and such and it's worked well.

View attachment 2877473
Click to expand...

Id use gorilla glue "super glue" fill the crack, sand down
 
I don't have any horn handled models but for general knowledge, does conditioning the horn prevent this? Not that natural materials will never split or crack but I don't know if horn can be treated like oiling a wood handle?
 
Bill_Melater said:
I don't have any horn handled models but for general knowledge, does conditioning the horn prevent this? Not that natural materials will never split or crack but I don't know if horn can be treated like oiling a wood handle?
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Conditioning the horn MIGHT have prevented it, but there a number of things that could have been the root cause:
- improperly cured horn (cracked while drying out)
- weak spot
- insufficient laha (cutler’s resin) inside the handle, creating hollow spots
- change in humidity (usually only in shipping)
- combination

I treat most of mine with Hooflex (used to keep horse hooves supple), some with hydrous lanolin. I live in Silicon Valley, CA, which is relatively dry, and have had no problems with horn splitting/cracking.

I DID have a bone handle disintegrate on me once, caused by insufficient laha. Reconstructed it with CA glue, filled it with JB Weld, no problems since.
 
The best way to keep horn handles healthy is to get a large jar, like Costco sized mayo or something, fill it (not too full, since the handle will take a lot of interior volume) with cheap mineral oil from Walgreens. I set mine in the corner of my tool bench, so I can put a khuk in, handle first, upside down,band lean the blade into the corner so it cannot fall. Leave it overnight and wipe it off in the morning. The mineral oil will not go rancid, so you just put the lid on until you're ready for the next khukuri handle.
 
bikerector said:
My horn cracked, I'm going to put some gorilla glue in there and call it a day. I'll keep an eye on it but otherwise it should last a but, based on prior experiences doing this.

If the get loose, then it's bad news.

I find this earlier this week while I was messing around in the backyard with it. I'll be liberal with application and hand sand smooth if I need to. I've filled in quite a few handle gaps in inexpensive machetes and such and it's worked well.

View attachment 2877473
Click to expand...
Did you use regular Gorilla glue or the super glue like mentioned after your post? I've got a Tramontina machete handle that's loose.
 
beestokk said:
Did you use regular Gorilla glue or the super glue like mentioned after your post? I've got a Tramontina machete handle that's loose.
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I used gorilla glue clear. In general, I'm not a fan of CA only glues for working handles just because of its lack of water resistance.

I've used clear on many things and it holds up well and also has a slightly tacky feel, likely from the polyurethane base. I have another large knife, a Sheffield MOD, that I used to fill a ridiculous gap in the scales and it worked well. I've used silicone to smooth out gaps on a Marbles bolo machete, before I did the Sheffield, and I wasn't as happy as the silicone clearly wears down quicker with use, but it's a lot more comfy than a 1/8" gap between the scales because they were not sanded flush to the handle, and I wanted to try the silicone filler instead of sanding it flush. Quick and dirty solution that worked well enough, not great, but was super easy.

Also, John with JK knives used gorilla glue clear and so I had a lot of experience with someone using it before I ever took on modding and making my own stuff. Being clear also looks nice, as compared to standard gorilla glue.
 
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bikerector said:
I used gorilla glue clear. In general, I'm not a fan of CA onlye glues for working handles just because of its lack of water resistance.

I've used clear on many things and it holds up well and also has a slightly tacky feel, likely from the polyurethane base. I have another large knife, a Sheffield MOD, that I used to fill a ridiculous gap in the scales and it worked well. I've used silicone to smooth out gaps on a Marbles bolo machete, before I did the Sheffield, and I wasn't as happy as the silicone clearly wears down quicker with use, but it's a lot more comfy than a 1/8" gap between the scales because they were sanded flush to the handle, and I wanted to try the silicone filler instead of sanding it flush. Quick and dirty solution that worked well enough, but not great, but was super easy.

Also, John with JK knives used gorilla glue clear and so I had a lot of experience with someone using it before I ever took on modding and making my own stuff. Being clear also looks nice, as compared to standard gorilla glue.
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Much appreciated, that's a helpful bit of information! Thank you.
 
I've filled big cracks with epoxy. It helps to mix the epoxy with sawdust the same color as the handle. Even better if the sawdust is the same kind of wood as the handle.

I did one handle where you can't even see the original crack after I sanded and polished it.
 
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