Handle materials?

[tyr_shadowblade]

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[Return of the J.D.]

Hey,

I've got a few questions:

For a heavy duty chopper, is horn too fragile to be used as a handle material?

No.

Works for the Gurkhas. Works for the other East Asian knife-users who handle so many heavy-duty choppers with it. Works for the water buffalos that use it for whatever they use their horns for. It's tough stuff.

What is your favorite wood used on H.I. products? Is Neem a good choice?

I don't think I've met an H.I. wood I don't like. Neem is aromatic--though there are apparently natural chemicals in it that can negatively impact fertility, and there's some thought that it causes miscarriages. Since our house is kind of a baby farm these days, and I figure I don't want chemicals wafting through the air that might have a detrimental effect on my as-yet-unborn progeny (got one bun in the oven as I write this), I figure I'll leave the neem to the more-Darwinianly-challenged !

And if a wood handle is too wide for your hand, what sanding / oiling procedure would you suggest?

Thanks.

I've never reduced a khukuri handle much. There IS a great variation in width, and it'd probably repay your efforts if you looked at a lot of different pictures and kind of got a sense of what a narrow handle versus a wide one looks like in the pics. Just got a Chitlangi recently with a VERY narrow handle, shortly after getting a British Army Service model with a very wide handle. I was kind of shopping for a khuk for my very-petite daughter. Both knives are 15 inches overall, but I can tell right away that the Chitlangi will be a better fit for her hands. I'll probably reserve the BAS, with its wider handle, for someone else (like myself), with bigger hands.

If you DO actually want to narrow the wood down, first remember that you're weakening what is probably one of the weakest points of the knife. Not necessarily a problem, but I'm never sure just how much "hole" there is through the handle where the tang goes on one of those. Finally, you might give some thought to what kind of oil you use for the finish. Most "boiled" linseed oil and related products have heavy-metal drying compounds including lead and/or cadmium in them, to help them dry faster. If you contemplate handling this thing a lot, you might want to go with a more-natural and less testicular-cancer-causing ( ) finish--say, maybe "Tried and True Oil Varnish" (Google it), or even tea oil. It'll take a while to set up, but won't hurt you.

 

[Wolf_1989]

No structural problems with my horn-handled chitlangi.

:thumbup:

 

[seaice]

In answer to your last question.... I've found that a pad sander (preferably of the smaller "palm" type) works well at reducing width, on material like rosewood it doesn't take too much off too rapidly, so you can regularly check to avoid going too far. Just a small amount off the sides can make quite a difference in how the handle matches your grip without tending to rotate.
For oiling a wood handle, give it a good application of raw (unboiled) linseed oil till it won't absorb any more, followed by a coat of boiled linseed oil to dry on the surface.
Well, that's what I use; others will have different preferences.

Thanks to Yvsa, also found that on a lightish coloured handle a coat of Ballistol can impart a richer golden colour.

 

[ilbruche]

And if a wood handle is too wide for your hand, what sanding / oiling procedure would you suggest?

Thanks.

I suggest Steve Ferguson posts his Tru-Oil recipe! :thumbup: