Handled First Blade, Questions

[HSC ///]

I'm no expert on epoxies but I use 5 minute, 30 minute, and gflex epoxy for different things. I have plastic reusable "mini spatulas" for mixing. One thing I have noticed is the gflex is far more flexible and difficult to remove from the spatulas than the 5 minute epoxy when they are dried. The 5 minute is much more brittle once it is dried. 30 minute epoxy I use is somewhere between gflex and 5 minute for being brittle/flexible/strong in my experience.
I have read a number of threads here discussing the merits of epoxies and from what I read it seemed there were real advantages to the slower setting epoxies. I would suggest reading through some of them. They certainly have me using gflex for my scales.

I wrap my blade with masking tape and do the "wipe the front of the scales 3 or 4 times" to get off excess epoxy. I also sharpened a 1/4" piece of round brass that I use to scrape any excess glue off the front of the scales when it has dried. It won't mark the steel on the blade, but will do a great job of removing excess dried epoxy.

I started knife making like you. Bought some blades and put scales on them. I was too cheap to buy a Helle Tamagami for $230cdn but noticed I could buy a Temagami blank for $75 cdn. I figured I was good enough at wood work that I could make a handle. Off I went. I did a few of them and learned to shape the handles and then started making blades. Now I have built a grinder and the only thing I don't do myself is heat treating.

I can't see really well on your picture, but it looks to me like you could round the edges more on your knife. Look at examples of handles. I tend to go for a "oval" shape as you look at them from the end and bit of a pop bottle shape as you look along the length. Yours looks a bit flat to me.
The Temagami I did 5ish years ago is an off centered oval and is pretty banged up now, but it feels good in my hand. It has been my every day carry at work forever. I make much better handles now, but it was my first one and I really like it. I spend a lot of time feeling the handle in my hand and seeing what it feels like now as I shape it. I work a lot with a rasp when I get close.

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Now I tend to make a knife or two, use them for a few weeks as my every day carry and then give them away when I find the right person for them and go back to the temagami.

Here is a few pictures.

Good write up on the epoxy experience
How important or valuable do you think flexibility is for knife bonding?
In a stick hidden tang I’m thinking little to none. On a slab with scales we rely on mechanical fastening.

I also use 3 different epoxies. 5, 15 min and 24 hour

 

[Mitchell Knives]

I put mineral oil on the parts of the blade where I don't want epoxy to stick.

 

[Sulaco]

Great info thanks all! Randy I definitely could have shaped the scales more but I wanted to leave this one kind of flat because the scales are pretty thin. The next blades I have to handle have thicker scales so I plan to try to shape them more for sure.

I am a huge fan of really ergonomic handle shapes such as the types Bark River is famous for. The Bravo is a good example. The Aurora is actually my favorite handle shape/design for an outdoor knife. I have large hands and it works really well in so many different grips and cuts

Thanks again!

 

[Randydb]

Good write up on the epoxy experience
How important or valuable do you think flexibility is for knife bonding?
In a stick hidden tang I’m thinking little to none. On a slab with scales we rely on mechanical fastening.

I also use 3 different epoxies. 5, 15 min and 24 hour

Have you noticed any difference in the different epoxies? Like I am thinking that you must have reasons for the different curing times other than just how long you need it open to line whatever you are gluing up.
I haven't done any hidden tang handles but I can't see there being any real advantage to the different epoxies in that use.

For me it isn't the flexibility that catches my attention. It is that "brlttleness." And also how much harder it is to get the gflex off the plastic spatulas. I've had a couple of the handles I have done or my students have done lift. So far it has only happened on the earlier ones I/we did and they all used 5 minute epoxy. I have attributed the fails to the 5 minute epoxy, but I also realize I didn't know as much when I was starting out, so there might be other factors contributing to these fails.

It seems like the gflex seems to have way more grip in my limited experience.

HSC....now I have to go back a reread the epoxy threads. You have made me wonder if it is just overkill now.

 

[Randydb]

Great info thanks all! Randy I definitely could have shaped the scales more but I wanted to leave this one kind of flat because the scales are pretty thin. The next blades I have to handle have thicker scales so I plan to try to shape them more for sure.

I am a huge fan of really ergonomic handle shapes such as the types Bark River is famous for. The Bravo is a good example. The Aurora is actually my favorite handle shape/design for an outdoor knife. I have large hands and it works really well in so many different grips and cuts

Thanks again!

I have had scales that were beautiful wood but too thin like yours. I bought some micarta and used it to make the scales thicker. My guess is other makers do the same thing.

I looked up Bark River...those are some nice knives you like. One of the cool things about what you are doing is that you can get a pretty nice blade blank and have some fun being creative with a handle and sheath.