Help!--horn, chiruwa experts.

Originally posted by Sylvrfalcn
Well......Well.......The suspense is killing me. Anybody else curious as to how it turned out?

If things don't work out you might want to check out www.texasknife.com they have handle slabs in stag, bone, and horn, fairly reasonably priced. Since a JKM-1 has no bolster, it would be a pretty straightforward (even fun) project to give one a "custom" handle.:D

Sarge
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Yep!!!! I'm curious as well!!!!:D

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!! A stag handle on a JKM-1, now that would be beautiful!!!!:D
I love really nice beautifully figured stag!!!!:D

The overly slickened stuff turns me off though.:grumpy: :(
To me that means the person didn't have an adequate supply of stag to fit the knife, they were just plain careless, or they just plain didn't care period.:( :grumpy:

But I like nice pretty slick bone, ain't we really weird creatures?:rolleyes:
Bone is an entirely different medium though and to me a beautiful bone handle properly done is prettier than an ill formed ivory handle no matter how nice the ivory is.
See above, except you can add lack of talent or skill.:grumpy:
 
Originally posted by Yvsa
The overly slickened stuff turns me off though.:grumpy: :(
To me that means the person didn't have an adequate supply of stag to fit the knife, they were just plain careless, or they just plain didn't care period.:( :grumpy:
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I guess I should add that the person could have different tastes than mine and that's alright, but the slick stag still turns me off.:p
 
I love really nice beautifully figured stag!!!!
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which is why I sent those antlers to Bill, and was so d*mned disappointed when it took TWO weeks to get to Reno, and Pala had already left!

I was already imagining the look of whitetail on the H I steel.
 
Kismet I have some whitetail stag that I used a couple of pieces for the two kardas on my 18" AK that I really should have slickened up and polished albeit it against how I almost always feel as I said above.:o ;)
This stag is very unusual in that it has Almost the appearance of really nice ivory!!!! The color is even right as it's a beautiful creamy color such as I've seen on some really old well cared for ivory.
I have never seen any stag before that has the appearnce of these antlers!!!!
Usually when the antlers are cut there is quite a large bit of porous material in the center. On these it is almost nonexistent!!!!
It may be because the antlers are so small even though they were six points on the set.
Instead I dyed them and inset the ends with either coral or turquoise or both.:eek: ;)
 
"I have never seen any stag before that has the appearnce of these antlers!!!!
Usually when the antlers are cut there is quite a large bit of porous material in the center. On these it is almost nonexistent!!!!
It may be because the antlers are so small even though they were six points on the set.
Instead I dyed them and inset the ends with either coral or turquoise or both"


Or is this just a tease as part of the world-wide conspiracy to drive me crazy?
 
Originally posted by Kismet
[BOr is this just a tease as part of the world-wide conspiracy to drive me crazy? [/B]
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Kismet I was just in my picture's file looking for the pix of the purty yeller handled khuk, and the accompaning karda and chakma I did for one of our silent members, I rehandled out of Honey Locust and I don't have any of them in my files including the ones for my 18" AK.:o
However I do have some slick photos in my desk that I could get out and scan.
I can't post them anymore since I'm not a paying member unless I download (upload?) them somewhere and then post the urls, but I could mail them to you.
I'll see if I get around tuit either today or over the weekend.;)

JP was very envious of them purty yeller Honey Locust handles.:p ;)
I wish I could've done a set for him, but I'm not one to be limited to drawings and specifications preffering my own creativity.
Besides I doubt he would've sprang that purty little hanshee as a trade.;) :D
 
OK, here's an update.

Like I said, I steamed things pretty good with a tea-kettle, wiped it down and clamped it up with a bit wrapping on the handle. I could smell the laha, and some very find droplets had sweated out the steam and settled onto the the ricasso.

After about 18 hrs, I took it out and things were pretty closed up and solid. Just the very slightest gap. I tried peening the pins, but they mostly just moved back and forth a bit, as they were of course ground flush, or maybe a even little shorter by the kami. They are a bit tighter now. Any way, the slabs stayed where they were, so I gave all the edges a good dose with the Bondini and clamped it up for a while. Then it seemed pretty tight, so I filed down the tang, and buttcap to match, and the fit looks really tight. Gave it one more dose of the Bondini, let it dry, and sanded the whole thing down and it's now luxuriating in a thick coat of "urban hooflex" (VO-5).

So I don't know if the horn really shaped back or if I've glued up a compressed spring.:)

I figure the tang is sealed up well enough to prevent rust If things stay as they are, the thing seems ready for light use as it is. Some time soon, I will replace the pins though, and try to get some real mechanical attachment there. I'll avoid any baton work until then.;) Need to concoct a sheath in the meantime anyway, as the leather that the sarki used for this one is way too soft--it's like chamoise. Once sharpened the knife will cut through it like tissue.

Thanks for the suggestions and help, every one.
 
Firkin I don't know how or what you're peening the rivets with and against, but if you don't have a solid steel back piece the peening won't do a lot of good.
Another possibility is that if you peen them overly much they can, probably will, split the slabs.:(
But if you have a real solid backup and a small rounded peen you could gently set them in a tiny bit without hurting anything.
I would leave them alone if everything is set up tight and seems to be holding that way. They will probably last for years.:)
 
Thanks for the tip on the rivets Yvsa.

I was using the flat spot on the shoulder of a small vise. Kind futile anyway, since they aren't long enough, and the holes in the horn aren't countersunk to get a grip on the expanded part.

Moot point, I punched them out. They seem to be aluminum. One of the slabs popped off, and one very light tap on a screwdriver with the flat bit set at the junction of ricasso and slab popped the other off. (Sort tool abuse, but no suitable chisel here.) The very interesting thing is the slabs were still a perfect fit to the tang!!!! The steaming/clamping really worked to reshape them. There either wasn't enough laha underneath, or it didn't get hot enough. I'm pretty sure at least one of them would have popped off with hard use.

If I had pitch, like Fed suggested, I bet I could have put that in, then steamed and clamped, and it might have worked out. Can't think of any modern adhesive that one could do that with.

Another possibility from looking at the thing, is that the tang wasn't fully descaled before the slabs were put on. Kinda likely, since it looks like one the holes in the tang was punched too cold, as a lot of metal chipped out on one side in jagged chunks. Maybe a bit of a rush-job. Keeper and buttcap still secure, and just a tiny bit of rust that looks like it started from the peened key that holds on the buttcap.

The out side of the slabs are dressed and in a zip-lock bag while I decide what to do next. Holes in the slabs are about 1/4, easiest would be to find some 1/4 inch aluminum, counter sink the holes a bit for peening and go to town with the JB weld. I think I might split the slabs peening brass that thick. Or see if Loveless bolts come big enough.

Or shape up some new slabs, dunno. With new slabs I won't be constrained by existing 1/4 holes, I figure I can JB Weld some brass tubing in to take up the space in the tang. Shaping a new handle would be more fun than sanding all the crap off the inside of the old slabs too. Also tempting to make a new handle about 3/4" longer, and put in a third fastener.Don't like to cover up the Kami mark, but... If I can manage to drill another hole without work-hardening the thing and turning one hole into a big project.

Plenty of time to decide, I got to do some serious filing/sanding to prep the tang for gluing anyway.

At least I learned that steaming the horn works, if I make new horn slabs, I can use that trick to shape them to the irregular tang.

Time for a think, and any suggestions are welcome.
 
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