horse stall mat

Garrett Schmidt

Garrett Schmidt

Joined
May 17, 2006
Messages
450
Got the recent issue of blade and they say many of the competition guys are using it for handles. Any one worked with it? How do you all shape it? Any one got a little bit they wouldn't mind parting with? Thanks.
 
i use rubber for most of my handles and i work it with a belt sander to start with then i use 3m combi wheels to do the final shaping with that smooths and blends the surface. i use superglue to attach the rubber but only after making sure to rough up the whole surface so its not shiny. i use my disc sander with 30 grit but i attach the head in my vise and hand sand horizontally. i do the same on the blade tang so the glue sticks good.
 
Horse stall mat - thick rubber, gym floor mat, anti-fatigue mat is the same stuff. cut it with a knife or band saw. Can be ground with a course belt. I can see where it would have a good grip but I don't know how you would get it to bond to the tang.
 
mike, i use superglue to hold the rubber on and it holds pretty well. you have to get the rubber surface roughed up first before it will stick good along with the tang. i have only had a few come loose but i reglued one back in place (it was on the knife for 13 years). i have had to replace a side once and it was tough to get off. the glue stuck to the metal along with a little bit of rubber.
 
Big article on this in the new blade. No one really mentions the steps used so may just need to experiment. I am thinking rubber contact cement to bond the stuff.
 
I have used it on several test knives. I clean the surface of the full tang, and the rubber mat. I used the 2 ton epoxy from Wal Mart and it holds good.

One of the test knives had one side round and smooth, the other side was short piece with a square end. The knife landed in a tree handle first, bounced. when looking at it, the round side was still holding good, the other side (straight end) lifted up about a 1/4 inch and the epoxy was gone. Pulling on the handle material stayed firm, so testing continued with but a slight delay.

Good for a utility knife or a camp knife.

Just put a 36 grit on your grinder and take it down to size. Finish with a 120 grit. You will get some smell as you grinder down.
 
I have had the best luck with black rtv silicon for gluing the handle on. Epoxy, superglue or anything that doesn't remain flexible when dry seems to eventually turn loose. You can also get some o ring material from a parts store and put rubber pins through the handle to help hold things together. I use 1/8th through the rubber and 1/4 through the tang/handle. grind to shape with a sharp 36 grit belt and finish with a 220.
 
I did a boot knife a while ago and used black micarta pins and neoprene scales from TKS with epoxy to hold the rubber. I figured the increased surface area would offset the weaker bond. 5 minute epoxy didn't seem to hold up (at least for me) but a thin laminating epoxy (Interlux H9000) works great - 2 years so far but it's still not finished.

FWIW, I like the way it feels in the hand and I do plan to use it again. Has anyone tried using scrap conveyor belting ? Also been thinking about cutting tread sections out of a kevlar belted mountain bike tire...

Richard, what are the 'combi wheels' you mentioned ? I just need to blend the sanding marks and it's done. Even the fine drums running slowly on the dremel are too aggressive and hand sanding isn't enough.

Smart idea on the rubber pins.:thumbup:
 
Might try Rob Frink, KMG, and see what he uses on the contact wheels he makes and what he bonds the rubber to the aluminum with.
 
http://mysite.verizon.net/ress6fq6/id22.html you can see what they look like here. the part number for the gold wheel is 048001 05974 the red one is 051144 80678. they are made in belgium and run about $25. each. i mainly use the red one for the final finish which is smooth yet grippy even when wet. i googled both wheel numbers but only had luck on the red wheel sn. the fourth link down had a price of $19.
 
Last edited:
DeadeyeLefty said:
Has anyone tried using scrap conveyor belting ? :
Click to expand...
I have been using belt skirting on a fillet knife with micarta pins for a year now and its holding up great.The skirting can be found in gravel quarrys they use it to keep material on the belts during transfer.
Its all the same material Neoprene.
I am using it now on the Tappan-zee bridge for bearing surfaces! Good stuff IMO:thumbup:
 
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