Handle liners/spacers?

Chiro75

Chiro75

Joined
Feb 4, 1999
Messages
5,786
I will be finishing a couple kit knives soon, and wanted to add a little color to the handles. In Loveless's book he points out that he uses some kind of thin fibrous lining material (like a rubberized cloth, it looks), and I was curious if anyone has used this stuff, has recommendations, or knows where it can be obtained? Any help is much appreciated...
Steve
 


what you need is fiber spacer .
I have used it on many knives and it looks and works good.
It helps with thermal expansion and contraction and will keep the epoxy joint from
shearing.
Koval’s and Sheffield’s carry it.
Sheffield’s is not online they don’t have a PC. ph# 1-904-775-6453
go here for Koval’s
http://www.kmg.org/kovalknives/index.html
 
Hey Chiro75 that would be a decorative fiber material. It's a vulcanized fiber material that is used for spacing in the handle of a hidden tang knife and you can use it on a slab sided handle also. I like to put small holes in it so the epoxy will pass through it and make a better bond. Jantz Supply has them there number is (1-800-351-8900), and be sure and get there catalog. There are other places to get supplys in the back of the knife mags and you should get there catalogs also. It sounds like you are really going to doll them up, please post picks when you get done. And you did a nice job on the other knife also.
Chris, Top of Texas Knives
www.toptexknives.com

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Thanks for the info (and encouragement!). i was hoping the stuff could be had locally, but it sounds like it is intended mainly for knife use. I just don't like to pay the S/H costs on small items. Anyway, I'll take a look. Since the scales I will be using are pretty thin, I may just double them up, with like an ivory Micarta scale doubled under something else. That would be sort of expensive, though...
 
Chiro75 I have some plastic that they make hot tubs out of, if you would like to try it for a spacer I will send you some. E-mail me off line if you would like some. I have put some on a couple of folding knife kits and they looked real nice.
Chris, www.toptexknives.com

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Chiro,
There's not much for me to add on this subject except one thing that I may caution you about. My recommendation is not to try to use the white material next to the blade. If you must use white, put some other color between it and the blade. I have used thin black material for this. The reason for this is that when you go to buff it, the white material will tend to "gray up" and will look horrible. If there are any gaps in the epoxy, it will look pretty bad. Ask me how I know this ...

One other neat trick is if you are putting on bolsters or a finger guard to use a small triangular jeweler's file to cut a 90 degree angle for the corner next to the bolster. This really dresses it up.

I tend to use the black or burgundy colored spacer material. I also like to use black colorant in the epoxy as well when black is used. If the handle material you are using is light colored, I would whole heartily recommend using a dark spacer material, it really looks good.

I have gotten the spacer material I use from Texas Knifemaker's Supply at:

http://www.siteblazer.net/texasknife/

CLWilkins
 
Chiro75 the stuff is blue with white filtering in and out of it, the other color is green with white filtering in and out of it. It is aboout 1/8in. thick. I have also used brass and stainless for spacers. Also drill little holes for epoxy to flow though.
Chris, www.toptexknives.com

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Well, if you want to send a little, then I could always give it a try. It is pretty cheap through TKS, too, though. If it isn't a problem to cut a couple sections, them I will see what I can do with it! I appreciate the generosity. If I could get both colors, too, then I would appreciate it. Both handles are 1.25" wide and in the 5-6" range. If you want to hook me up with this hot tub stuff, then I appreciate it! Here's a mailing address:

Steve Agocs
PCC BOX #1047
1000 Brady St.
Davenport, IA
52803
 
Chiro75 while I was out getting the stuff I gathered up some other stuff, and will ship it to as well. Marti my wife will put in the mail in the morning. When you get it if you have any questions give me a holler.
Chris, www.toptexknives.com

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Thanks, Chris! You are WAY too cool for your own good! Let me know if there is anything I can do for you...you don't happen to be a cigar smoker, do you?
 
Thanks Chiro75, no I don't smoke, but I would like a new pickup truck, hehehehe. Just kidding, you don't owe me anything. I just like to see people get bit by the knife making bug, and with a place like this it just makes it a hole lot easer to get started. Maybe someday you can pass on the gesture and help some other knife maker with a little help.
Chris, Top of Texas Knives
www.toptexknives.com

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Chiro, and the rest of the gang, here's something I might actually be able to help out with. I work for an engineering thermoplastics material supplier, and I have in stock some test plaques that we use for flammability certification tests. The plaques are 4" X 14" X 0.040" (102mm X 356mm X 1mm). There are two different materials I have that accept epoxies pretty well.
The plaques below are unfilled nylon 6/6 and the quantity of each that I currently have:

13 dark blue (navy)
16 black
17 dark red (burgundy)
20 dark grey (slate)

I also have a number of plaques in unfilled PBT polyester, the same dimensions listed above, in the quantities and colors below:

11 bordeaux red (dark burgundy)
13 black

Assuming the average handle dimensions of 5-6" by approx 1 1/2-2" tall, you could probably get enough material for two knives out of each plaque.

If anyone is interested in trying these materials out or if you have any other questions about these materials, just drop me a line with your address and I can send a few plaques out to you (specify color, please). We don't often test these materials, so the stock I have is currently it, and I'm not sure when we'll be molding again.

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Don LeHue

The pen is mightier than the sword...outside of arm's reach. Modify radius accordingly for rifle.


 
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