handle material for a rugged tac-ish knife

S

SR_matt

Joined
Jan 4, 2007
Messages
623
Ok so basically heres what i know im gona do

1/4 inch thick, 1 3/4-2 inch wide stock probably O1 or D2. Im probably gona do a drop point or a clip point cut blade.

now i want the knife to be able to pull off the whole use it as a step (i.e. jam it into something and stand on it). why?... because i can.

so i am pretty sure wood/dymond wood/ laminates are probably out of the question just due to the nature of their strengths, i also think the handles will need to be held on with screws not with glue/epoxy/etc due to any flexing will probably weaken/break the bond.

so basically what i am asking is what lengths will work best and more importantly what should i do for handles (all i can really think of is aluminum or steel).

any other comments, smart remarks, criticisms, etc?

thanks
-matt
 
Linen or canvas micarta is some pretty strong stuff. Screws would keep it in place, and I doubt standing or jumping on it would damage it at all. That would be the route I would take. I think it would hold up at least as well as aluminum.
 
ok, i havent really seen micarta first hand yet (still rather new) and i just wasnt sure of how much it could really flex and hold up like that.

i know there are some people that have done these types of knives, so any other tips, tricks, etc i would also like to hear no matter what part of the knife it relates to

thanks
-matt
 
As a SWAG I'm gonna suggest micarta, with pins or rivets AND epoxy. Both are cheap, no need to skimp.

How long are you going to make it? with 1 3/4" wide 1/4" stock, it's gonna be beefy!
 
Consider G10 - tough as nails - and looks pretty good too.

greenblackpistachio.jpg


Corby rivets would be better than the pins on this one - and use slow cure epoxy as well.

Rob!
 
G-10 or canvas micarta.Corby bolts - three of them. Keep the handle short. Don't use O-1,use the D-2 or a tougher steel.
Stacy
 
ok thanks for the replies. i was thinking of using "sex bolts" or post and screw bolts what ever name you prefer.

the reason i am wondering about gluing the scales is just the basic give factor and if i break a scale then i can swap it out easily but im not sure if that is a logical reason for what can happen/ just me being illogical.

i think im gona mke it about 3.5- 4 for the handle and about 4 -6inches for the blade.

im kind of confused with the fasteners listed around for knives. the "rivets", i take it you put the pieces togeather and smack it with a hammer a few times (probably using a punch on top of it corect) right? i dont see any fasteners that can be taken appart once they are finnished and for some of my knives (and probably including this one) id kind of rather use a removable fastener. would it be realistic to tap the tang (at least on this one since it is going to be so thick) and then just use screws that stick down 1/8 into the tang (i would be using probably 10-32s, or at least something with 32 threads per inch).

i hope that was clear, or at least only semi murky to make some sence.

thanks alot everyone
-matt
 
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