Handle wrapping question

Chiro75

Chiro75

Joined
Feb 4, 1999
Messages
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How do you cord wrap a handle? Haha just kidding. Actually, what I'm looking for is a type of cord like on the famous Phil Hartsfield "black over tan" tanto. It looks like a 2-strand, round type of thin cord a lot like a hemp type of thing, but more consistent. I want to use the black over tan look on a recently finished knife, but I'm not even sure what to look for with this stuff to search. Also, is there a better source for cotton wrapping cord than Lohman? It's $1.50 a foot. My handle is probably about 6", maybe a bit longer, and doesn't have a cap on it, so it'll need a complicated finishing knot that I've done before, but probably takes a few inches of cord in and of itself. Any help is much appreciated! Here's a link to a pic of it from one of our BFC's member's websites (thanks!).

DSC00926sharp.jpg
 
How about bag handle cord or hop twine? IOt's about 1/8 dia and made out of twisted paper.
TJ
 
Where would I get something like that, locally? I'm going to look at some hemp today, if possible. I've seen these damn hippies sell it for $16 a ball when you can get it from hemptraders.com for $2 a ball! ;)
 
It'l be a month or more before I can get in touch with the people that make it.
Not much good now but maybe for future reference.
TJ
 
That's humorous. I just ended up wrapping one like that last night!

I got my stuff at wal-mart (the twine) -- e-mail sent on some other stuff. ;)
 
Thanks Michael. No big surprise, the hippies wanted $15 for 200 feet! The spools that Hemptraders.com sell are almost 900 ft and are $2! Bastids! I bought a yard of 1mm hemp and used it, but I think 1.5-2mm would be better. We'll see how this sucker turns out, though. You never know! Hemp is so inconsistent, though, in twine form that you get a lot gapping between the strands and you see a bit of the metal behind it. I reserve judgment for the final product, though, so we'll see what happens.
 
Phill Hartsfield uses cotton cord, which is sold here (Belgium, europe) in hobby shops.
(He uses wide flat cotton shoelace for the diamondwrap: the type used in armyboots is just fine.)
this is a twisted type, but a woven type is also used for making candles or sometimes used by the people who place tiles to keep the joints even, and these are available in different sizes (1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5mm)

The advantage of using cotton cord is the ability to absorb the epoxy resin, which is higher with cotton than most other cords.
When impregnated it is like a molded on "micarta"-type material.

In my album at imagestation I have several knives done that way:
http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4290920849
use "Visit01" as user and "knives" as password if needed.

jan
 
Thanks, Jan. It's not the top layer I'm looking for, though, but the light brown stuff on the bottom. Any idea what this type of cord/rope is? I've seen descriptions of Japanese swords wrapped in this stuff, but I can't find anything about rope like this online.
 
That's actually what I was referring to in my above post -- the twine part is what I had as an underlay and I got it at Wal-Mart. Looks just like the stuff used in the above pic. Sorry if I was confusing. :)
 
It is the "tan"wrapping that is round cotton cord.
That is the natural colour. The twisted variety is available in at least half a dozen colours (thicknesses 1 and 2 mm) over here.
the woven variety only in natural.

The "twine" you have seen on tsuka (handles) is Jabara ito.
It is silk string and depending on the pattern two or more strings are sewn together to form some sort of ribbon
https://www.shadowofleaves.com/tsuka-ito.htm

A fine example can be seen here :
https://www.dfoggknives.com/photogallery/MacWak/index.html

https://www.dfoggknives.com/photogallery/MacWak/slides/MacWakHan640.jpg

I suspect they also use cotton cord.


Jan
 
Michael, which area did you get yours at @ Wally World? What should I be looking for?
 
Not sure where I got it. Either the camping section or hardware --
 
Well done Edwin.

That is one of the two basic "twisted" ways to do it.
The other is folding the ito inwards, and then the wrap is more closed.

That blue turns out nicely with good contrast.

jan
 
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