Handle scale alignment snafu

J

Jacob Hays

Joined
Jul 23, 2013
Messages
22
Putting together a pair of kitchen knives and got the handle scales glued up over the weekend. I started to trim down the excess material and realized my alignment is noticeably off where the different handle materials join, from one scale to the other. I'm guessing there was a little play with the 2 dummy pins installed that let the scale slide a little bit. So the big question is, what can I do about this?

I'm using West System 105 for the epoxy.

Possible options I've come up with:
1. Try to loosen the epoxy with acetone and nudge the scales a bit.
2. Try a heat gun to loosen the epoxy, nudge the scales a bit.
3. Either of those first 2 options to remove the scale entirely. Then start over w/ new scales.
4. Finish this out and give it away as a "blem"

gvN1aXI.jpg

ZMNJef7.jpg
 
Not my favorite options, but kinda what I figured. What's the best way to remove the scales, just option 3 with some pliers/hammer/chisel until they come off?
 
Then there is option 5: Give it to your Mom. She will never see mistakes in a knife made by her son. ;)
 
Finish them as is. It may not show as much in the round as it does in a straight line.

If that isn't suitable, the only option is to try and heat the handle up gently and remove the scales...and go back to the start.

I would finish them, as if that doesn't work, you can still start over again.

I will tell you what I do when a gap or other problem shows in a joint like yours. You might do the same in this situation:
Take a fine tooth razor saw or back saw and cut along the gap/misalignment. Fit a piece of contrasting spacer material into the slot. Once you like the fit, fill the slot with epoxy and slide the spacer in. Let it dry and sand flush......viola, perfect two color joint. Obviously, you have to do that to both sides.
 
bladsmth said:
I will tell you what I do when a gap or other problem shows in a joint like yours. You might do the same in this situation:
Take a fine tooth razor saw or back saw and cut along the gap/misalignment. Fit a piece of contrasting spacer material into the slot. Once you like the fit, fill the slot with epoxy and slide the spacer in. Let it dry and sand flush......viola, perfect two color joint. Obviously, you have to do that to both sides.
Click to expand...

It isn't a mistake, it's an opportunity for a design upgrade!
 
Little blems like that bother me on my own knives as well. However it rarely bothers me in other people's knives. I guess the pursuit of perfection is the final goal in knife making. I think you should finish it as is, and sell it as a blem.
 
Think I'll go with the consensus and finish these out. If I'm still not happy with it, then I'll try Stacy's technique and cut in some additional spacer. If that doesn't work then I can always start over.

Thanks for the comments and giving me some ideas. Just had to get over the disappointment that I'm not perfect, which happens at least once a week.
 
It looks like the front of the handles are not aligned. Must the the angles. The right looks higher one then the left looks higher in the other photo. Since this is the same scale maybe it would be better to remove. Or just finish and see how it goes and use it as a learning opportunity. If you get called out on it then you'll know for next time. Maybe your buyers don't have as keen an eye as you do. :)
 
I agree with Stacy, it should be a lot less obvious once profiled. As far as blems go, it isn't gigantic. I would think that making sure it was shown accurately in photos would suffice, it's probably on the edge of needing verbal disclosure, as long as you make sure it is not hidden from the customer in any way.

A lot of people actually love to buy knives like this at a discounted price, because they don't feel guilty about messing them up by using them. For instance, people gobble up blem GEC slip joints and use the heck out of them. :)
 
I had something like that happen to me recently .. Bugs the hell out of me. But I do agree with the others. Finish them out and count it as lesson learned. Excellent job on the tapered tangs by the way.
 
Finishing them out was the right move, thanks for the push in the right direction. The white spacers lined up pretty well once I started sanding. The pic makes the handles look a little a bit wonky (non-symmetrical), maybe that's just the camera angle, I'll have to check them tonight to make sure but at least the white spacers are good.
lNMVhdo.jpg


And the finished product (along w/ a prototype chisel chopper thingy).
UEiFkdC.jpg
 
Good job pushing through. They look great!
 
Way to go... sometimes you have that "oh crap" moment (same feeling you get when you've just realized you cut yourself and don't know how bad yet), and you have to take a deep breath and handle it, no matter what it takes.

Just like finding out that terrible wound is only a paper cut, you found out this was actually a very small issue.

One thing I've found is that the majority of our customers realize that they are buying a custom/handmade product, and it will have some level of imperfection depending on the price range and skill of the maker.

Seeing that this unknown level of perfection is acceptable, as long as you have made a genuine effort to do your best on each piece and represent it accurately at sale, you have little to worry about.

Only you can decide what your cut-off point is for a piece to not go out the door, but I find that most makers that try their best to be fair in quality and price, generally exceed the expectations of most customers.
 
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