Handle makin' help....

CAVEDWELLER

CAVEDWELLER

Joined
May 5, 2003
Messages
230
Alright I'm finally going to make some wood handles for the AK Bowie. I've traced the outline of the handle area of the bowie and have started sanding down the handles. I'm almost ready to mount them, so can anyone offer any tips? What kind of rivets or pins do I need, and can you find them at a locasl hardware store? Anything else, I may have missed?
 
Should be able to find rods of brass of various diameters
at local hardware/craft/hobby supply.
Tandy Leather has copper rivets (with heads & washers) for leather.
As best I understand, cut to barely longer than needed
then peen circumference of rivet & polish down to material level.
Tandy sells a rivet setter that basicly does
the peening in one stroke.
Make your own by dishing out a harder metal rod so it can,
when hammered, push on the circumference of the rivet and
not the center of the rivet.


Google search "handle rivet" or pin or pinning.
 
Brass and copper welding rods up to 1/8" are so are easily eaccesible. Brass rod up to 1/4" back in metal section at any good hardware store(I get mine at Ace). For copper of simialr sizes, go to Ace again, go to electrical section, and pick up some 6 ga or so bare wire.

For shiny pieces, I prefer stainless steel to nickel silver, wears better in my experience, get 416 SS from Texas Knife Supply.
 
I've seen mosaic pins available for handle attachement, sold in 6 and 12 inch lengths.

Does anyone know how to do this? They look too delicate to stand a lot of pounding.
 
Mosaic pins you don't peen, just use epoxy. Rough up the outside of them, drill hole next size up(generally go to the Letter indexed ones, rather than inch measurements, or go metric, as you don't want full 1/64" step if you can avoid it, but smaller gap. Just enough for teh epoxy).

You don't actually have to even peen regular solid pins either, as most people don'ot, they just use them with epoxy(or acraglass, or contact cement)
 
<nosiness-on>
Hey, CD, what handle material are you using, and how are you going to finish it?
<nosiness-off>
 
Well....It's a little weird but for my first time I'm using cedar, but I won't be permanently attaching it to the AK bowie. I think it'll look nice but won't hold up, at least I don't think it will. Will Cedar hold up on a knife handle? I've never seen anyone use it in such a way. The reason I'm doing it this way is to find out if I can do it and do it right, before I spend the money or time to get the Osage orange or Zebrawood I've been eyeing.
 
You're probably right about the cedar not holding up. Kind of soft. Good idea to practice first, too.

There's a real nice Brazilian hardwood, IPE, that should make a good handle. I bought some from an outfit in Houston a while ago. Very dense stuff. I'd send you a 6" piece if you're interested. The choices you're looking at, osage and zebra, would look great, too.
 
I have a pc of some hardwood from Brazil, tyhat I actually started on before the cedar, but messed up my pin holes. I don't know what it is, I got it off of a pallet of tile made by Incepa in Brazil. It's hard as heck, and as a pinkish tint to it.
 
IPE is real dark brown. Reminds me of oak, with a walnut stain. Hard, too.
 
Cavedweller,
I have a piece of walnut that you can have and I'll saw them out to the outline of your handle. I also have a bit of brass for the pins.
Give me a holler.
God Bless.
Terry
 
A gent gave me a bunch of this stuff. It is very heavy with a redish color to it with yellow streaks in it. My Wife was born and raised in Mexico and knew what the stuff was when she saw it. She says the Indians down in the jungles pronounce the name like E day. I always wear some kink of dust mask when cutting or sanding this stuff.

They are using a lot of the wood here in Texas to build patios for the rich folks. They say it will last at least 25 years laying directly on the ground.

Those little yellow lines in the wood is where the danger is supposed to be.:)
 
Originally posted by T.Sisco
Cavedweller,
I have a piece of walnut that you can have and I'll saw them out to the outline of your handle. I also have a bit of brass for the pins.
Give me a holler.
God Bless.
Terry
Click to expand...

Terry,

I'll probably take you up on that. Been meaning to get by your place, but have been to busy these past couple of weekends. You got anything planned this weekend? Maybe we can do a little bit of shooting, too.
 
Ha, no blaming anything on me Aardvark. I'm always very clear and tell eveyrone not to get involved in knife making. Or even modifying. IT's an evil addiciton that's cost me TONS of money.
 
Thanks for sharing the info, guys. I've been thinking of picking up some ziricote wood and pins and making a set of handles for my AK Bowie as well. A nice winter project.
 
ahhhh...AK Bowie project...gotta love it. Great knife to work on. Plenty of steel to play with.

The handle material you're thinking of might be Pink Ivory. Is it real hard with a tight grain?


Cedar is not a good wood to use for knife handles. Looks pretty, but will warp, crack, etc. with use. I wish it was an option, though...I bet the scent would rub off onto your hands with use. Hmmmm....got an idea.

Anyway, the offer for walnut is a good one...a smart one too. ;) You'll need a heavy hardwood if you plan to make this one a user. Be sure to rough up the tang real good before glue-up. Somehow that's soooo easy to forget....


ept777 - despite selling off around $1500 in knives, I still have over $7000 invested in "knifemaking/collecting"....:eek: Everything from wood to pins to steel to tools to belts to knives and even some khukuris...:D


I remember a year or two ago reading about the nutcases that had invested several thousands in knives...:rolleyes: boy were they stupid...:rolleyes:

:footinmou :footinmou :footinmou
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top