Help! Preparing to make first handles!

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Hi guys. Im making handles for the first time for my knife since the old ones were poorly made. I will be using this guide to help me

I am very new at this so I will gladly take all the help I can get. So please any input will be appreciated!!

Materials & Tools:
I have a drill (have to check if I have the bit sizes are big for the holes in tang), and some clamps. I need some advice on the supplies.

I am planning on ordering epoxy, filers, and sandpaper. If anyone has better suggestions for the product selections, I would greatly appreciate it.

SCALES: I want to apply black micarta scales to the knife. The dimensions of the handle are 5 1/2" lengthwise, 1 3/4" width, and the thickness is 7/32" (1/32" from being 1/4" thick) -- so a good 6" x 2" x 1/4" micarta scales would suffice I think (maybe the thickness should be 3/8"? )

PINS: This is where I have my biggest problems. The holes in the tang are 3/8" in diameter -- which is pretty wide. I really don't know what types of pins to use. I was looking at using corby pins for a more secure handle (since the first one was really insecure) but I am unsure about drilling an extra shoulder that is going to be wider than 3/8". Plus, even if I do manage to screw the corby bolt in, I would have to file down both sides to match the handle, and Im afraid of exposing the screw holes.

Any recommendations regarding what pins/bolts/rivets I should use for a 3/8" hole would be appreciated. (Maybe JP Bolts??)

I think that's all the supplies I need. Not sure if I missed anything else.

Thanks for reading!

 

[lonepine]

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Use slower curing epoxy. As a general rule it does a better job than the quick curing types. Make sure the surface is CLEAN. Maybe even take a little sandpaper to it. A little tooth would help with the clue sticking too.

I mask off any part of the blade and handle material that I don't want glue to get on. It doesn't always work 100% but way better than not masking at all, at least for me. After the scales and pins are in place I wrap saran wrap around the whole mess before putting the clamps on to apply pressure. This just help keep excess glue from getting all over the place when it oozes out.

Do a dry run before you actually apply the glue. Invariably I manage to need SOMETHING I don't have near by. Pins will slip in and out of the scales real easy UNTIL you are actually gluing them up. Then gremlins or Murphy sneak in and for some reason they will no longer fit so nicely. This is when I start looking for a pair of pliers or a screwdriver handle to pound them in with. (Always use the right tool for the right job. ;-)

The files look pretty small to me. Do you have a lot of detail work that you would be using them on? I use a rasp for crude shaping then switch to 12" - 14" half-round, round, and regular flat files. Sandpaper from 80 grit to as fine as you want to go. Take your time and don't rush. You can take more off but you can't put it back on. Coincidentally I put a black micarta handle on a premade knife blade about ten years ago. I looked at it again last year and I wanted to gag at how crude it looked and felt in my hand. Out came the rasp and other implements of destruction and I went at it again giving it a better shape.

I can't help much with the pin size issue. Could you drill new holes of the size you want?

Just cuz I'm curious, what sort of knife are you putting this handle on?

Good luck. You can do it.

- LonePine
Alias Paul Meske, Wisconsin

 

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hi lonepine.

thanks for the input. I will adjust my product selections accordingly.

as for the knife I am putting these handles on, it is the one in this thread

By the way, do you have any recommendations on a rasp product I could order?

 

[Daniel Fairly Knives]

Epoxy: Not the five minute stuff, get the slow cure kind. I'm not sure what would be an inexpensive choice for a set of scales, I use G-Flex by West System.

Files: Get big ones. Some hardware stores sell a really cheap set of about 10 files and a 4 way rasp all for about $10, you really can't beat them for light work such as a few handles.

Paper: the Aluminum Oxide will be fine but wear out quickly, get some silicon carbide. I forget what the media is but the colored 3m paper rocks too. Go to the automotive section to find the higher grits of silicon carbide.

Sorry but I'm not too sure about the pins. Maybe some mild steel rods from the hardware store could work? I'm sure you could find them somewhere on the net.

Good luck! I hope you can turn that knife into something you can use, it's a shame the handles on the knife you bought fell off. It was like the knife version of my Dell laptop, looked good for a week but it was just a facade!

 

[lonepine]

hi lonepine.

thanks for the input. I will adjust my product selections accordingly.

as for the knife I am putting these handles on, it is the one in this thread

By the way, do you have any recommendations on a rasp product I could order?

Oh yea. I remember your knife. It has a compound grind.

You know, when you get your new handle on it the rest is going to look not so good. Maybe you would consider taking some of your sandpaper to the blade also and clean it up a bit. Whatever.

The rasp that I have has an aggressive tooth and mild tooth (I'm not sure if "tooth" is the correct term). One side is flat and one side is rounded. Daniel Fairly called it 4-way rasp. That sounds good to me.

I notice something sticking out on the bottom of the handle. That will make it a little more challenging when shaping the handle unless you shape the scales before gluing them to the tang. Or... if it is a feature you don't use it could be removed. What is it for?

- Paul Meske
Alias LonePine

 

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not sure about the bottom of the handle thing lonepine -- it's all flat on the bottom. I will shape the handles before gluing them that's for sure AND I am definitely going to apply the sandpaper to the blade to make it look nicer

looking for a nice rasp now