Help with handle shaping

V

Vpetrell

Joined
Jul 14, 2015
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272
What will be the best way to shape this handle? This is my first time doing anything like this, but I got the tang set pinned and epoxied. But i realized after, even after checking and double checking, the blade and slot is not straight. Have you I did all this on my apartment floor with a hand drill and a rasp. What will be the best way to straighten the handle out when I shape it? I don't have a sander or anything that would be a great help, but I have time and patience.

Any help is appreciated!

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The first thing you need to do is slow down.

I know you are excited to make a knife, but slowing down and thinking things through before starting is important. If you haven't, you should read the stickys. After drilling the tang hole, it would have been a good idea to reduce the amount of wood on the block at least 90% before epoxying it up. Checking the alignment before the epoxy set would have helped, too. Right now, you are stuck with what you have done, unless you want to take the handle off and start over again.
Normally, you would have shaped the handle part-way and made at least the front part the size you wanted before gluing it on. As it is, you can't really work up at the guard very well without marring the guard up badly. You may have to accept that.

To remove the handle you can either pound it with a hammer against an anvil or a large brick/rock and break the handle off, or heat the handle with a heat gun or propane torch until the epoxy breaks down at about 200F. The torch is how most folks do it. Just keep the blade out of the flames. When the epoxy starts to break down, you will be able to tap that nail out and shortly later will be able to pull the handle off with gloved hands. Once off, clean up the excess epoxy, plan the handle and make it, then glue it on after most all the shaping is done. You should do all that outside, as it smells and is messy.

As for finishing it as-is:
When your knife is finished, the pin will be higher/lower on the sides, but that is just cosmetic.

You would do yourself a favor if you can find someone with a belt sander to at least grind away most of the excess wood, because what you need to do now is start removing about half of that block. It would work best if you had some way of holding the blade while working on the handle ( vise, clamp to a board or table, etc.)

Start by taping the blade up with several layers of masking tape ( the blue painters tape is the best for this). The tape will help protect the blade from getting scratched up.

Use files, rasps, and sandpaper to start shaping the handle. As you remove wood, check the shape from the end to assure you are making it line up with the blade. You can use a wood carving knife or pocket knife to help shape the handle at the guard.

Once shaped and aligned as you wish, sand it to finer grits up to at least at 400 grit.


Next knife, make a full plan and sketch before doing anything.



BTW, did the "kid" that make the blade for you heat treat it for you?
 
Thank you for the advice. I think that is where I went wrong as well. I got impatient and started to rush the process. I may have to take it off and start over anyways for my own sanity of doing it right.

He did heat treat, but I'm not sure to what hardness. He is a new self taught black smith in high school, but it's the second purchase I've made from him. Hopefully it holds up!

Thanks again for the constructive criticism. I needed it before I got ahead of myself
 
I saw on your other thread that the guard is aluminum. You will probably be best shaping it as an end to the handle with no lip or drop. It will file and sand about as easily as the wood will.

Don't rush to tear it off, either.

Check out one of the other makers in your area ( another thread you have going, IIRC) and take it over to their shop to reduce the handle down to a basic shape. Then you can go back home and sand/shape the finer details.
 
That may be the best idea for where I'm at. Although o may take the handle off and start over and do it right this time now that I have gotten some guidance from the forum
 
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Back to square one. Going to do it right this time and take my time with it and hopefully make a sweet hidden tang!
 
It's always best to start over rather than try to "fix" the screw up.

Patience is everything. It took 20 years to build the pyramids. Just because you don't have some awesome million-dollar shop doesn't mean you can't turn out a perfectly wonderful finished product.

Just looking at your aluminum guard, I can see that you're rushing. The front of that guard should be polished to an even finish, even if that's only a 400-grit finish. It should be flat and smooth, uniform in appearance, and the sides should be mirror images. Everything you've done says that you're in a hurry and not interested in doing the job right.

Don't get into the habit of taking short-cuts and accepting third-rate work as "good enough". Just because this is your first knife doesn't mean it can't be a great knife. You've seen thousands of photos on the internet, so you know what a good knife looks like. What you need to do is work the system, duplicating what others have done. Sandpaper is cheap. Heck, you could grind that guard on the cement sidewalk and get the faces all flat and true to each other in just a few minutes. I've done that a few times and you'd be surprised at how fine a finish the cement leaves when you add a little water to create a slurry.

You say you have patience, so show us. So far, I'm not seeing it.

If people in Pakistan can work wonders with third-world technology, certainly you can do similar while sitting on the front stoop.
 
Thanks VaughnT. I am now taking my time and doing it right. I watched a few videos and am following the right steps to take.

This forum is full of good advice and tips that I'd be foolish to rush and ignore the basics.

Thanks again for the advice. I'll post pictures as I make more progress
 
Fill out your profile and tell us about who you are. Age, location, occupation, etc. will all help us give better advice to you.

I second the take your time and plan your steps advice. I would set the blade aside, sand the guard clean, set it with the blade....... and then read the stickies before going on to the handle.

When you do start on the handle, make the tang hole in the block of wood first. Then slip it on the blade/guard and mark the guard position on the block. Remove the block and do all the pre-shaping needed to make it start to look like the handle you want. Slip on and check for look and feel regularly. When it seems good, set it aside for a day and come back and check it again. Chances are you will see some places that need more work. When you are happy with the basic handle shape, then is the time to epoxy it on. You want the handle at the guard area to be fully shaped and sanded smooth before glue up. The rest of the handle can have additional shaping after epoxying it on, but the front should be 95% to 100% done.

I had asked earlier about the blade being hard. I see that you drilled a second hole in the tang less than an inch from the ricasso, and that concerns me. Tell us about how you drilled that hole.
 
That's what I'm doing now, shaping the handle and fitting the tang slowly. I started cleaning the guard also will read more of the stickies as well.

I just drilled a hole through the tang. Is that bad location for a hole?
 
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This is what I have for reference for his heat treating. Not sure if this will help at all.

Would it be smart to temper the blade after seeing this?

This is all completely new to me
 
If the blade was heated enough, you shouldn't see any of the colors you are seeing. The blade will turn a blackish color. Something isn't right. I didn't catch what steel you are using, that will tell you how to heat treat it.
 
And is that a crack in the blade about at the midpoint of the blade on the flat?
 
Nic. said:
If the blade was heated enough, you shouldn't see any of the colors you are seeing. The blade will turn a blackish color. Something isn't right. I didn't catch what steel you are using, that will tell you how to heat treat it.
Click to expand...

He used a bastard file to make the knife. He is a novice blacksmith who is self taught so I'm not sure how he did the heat treat.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Fill out your profile and tell us about who you are. Age, location, occupation, etc. will all help us give better advice to you.

I second the take your time and plan your steps advice. I would set the blade aside, sand the guard clean, set it with the blade....... and then read the stickies before going on to the handle.

When you do start on the handle, make the tang hole in the block of wood first. Then slip it on the blade/guard and mark the guard position on the block. Remove the block and do all the pre-shaping needed to make it start to look like the handle you want. Slip on and check for look and feel regularly. When it seems good, set it aside for a day and come back and check it again. Chances are you will see some places that need more work. When you are happy with the basic handle shape, then is the time to epoxy it on. You want the handle at the guard area to be fully shaped and sanded smooth before glue up. The rest of the handle can have additional shaping after epoxying it on, but the front should be 95% to 100% done.

I had asked earlier about the blade being hard. I see that you drilled a second hole in the tang less than an inch from the ricasso, and that concerns me. Tell us about how you drilled that hole.
Click to expand...

Will this make the knife weak from drilling the hole that close to the ricasso? I wanted to put a second pin for aesthetic reasons
 
My concern is that unless you have carbide bits and a drill press, you should not have been able to drill a hole there. The photos look like he used a torch to do the HT and drew the temper from the spine. That is a crap shoot for a pro, and can go very wrong for an armature.

Don't worry about it for now, just finish the knife and enjoy yourself.
 
Ok good. I did use a carbide bit, no drill press but all 180 pounds of me to get it through.

Thanks again for the advice. I should be done in a few days and I'll post some pics of the final product
 
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