Handle That I Tore Off

[redsquid2]

This would have been a pretty cool handle. It was just natural maple, dyed with diluted artist acrylic color.

I got it shaped the way I wanted it, dyed it, then noticed a tiny crack in the the wood.

When I had it sanded down pretty fine, the crack became more visible. I tested the strength of it by clamping it in the vise, and torquing on it pretty hard. It stood up to some pretty hard pushing, but I decided not to keep it on there, for fear it might someday fail:

So I re-did the handle, keeping the micarta bolster, and using epoxy glue to join layers of diamondwood and mesquite. Then I took some pictures in poor lighting

 

[Randydb]

So a beginner here asking questions. Couldn't you just fill that crack with CA or epoxy to stabilize it? Like I see voids in burl being dealt with in that way.

Thanks
Randy

 

[redsquid2]

So a beginner here asking questions. Couldn't you just fill that crack with CA or epoxy to stabilize it? Like I see voids in burl being dealt with in that way.

Thanks
Randy

This was a pretty long crack, and I didn't want to take any chances on structural integrity. I just don't think rubbing an adhesive into that crack would have done the job.

Thank you for asking.

 

[Hengelo_77]

A decision like that hurts, but i think you made the right choise.
been there done that (ask me how I found out that heat cracks ebony over night)