How do I modify aluminium handle to make it grippier?

TruAblePup

TruAblePup

Joined
Oct 1, 2014
Messages
64
Hi guys,

I have the Lionsteel SR-1. I love it. It's big and beautiful. However, the aluminium handle is very slippery and with such a big knife that concerns me. Is there a way I can safely modify the knife to make the handle grippier?

Thanks all!

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I am curious about this as well. I have a set of scales waiting for me and I may end up having them modded.

How do you folks think a 20 tpi checkering file would work?
What if the texturing had the peaks sanded to smooth the points down a bit?
 
I'm not familiar with that knife, and I don't know if the handles are thick enough, but I have seen people use a Dremel with a sanding or grinding attachment to "dimple" metal handle scales. When finished the scales look kinda like they've been gnawed on by an animal. Or another example would be- the appearance of a stone that has been knapped with chips knocked out of it's surface.

Of course such a method is permanent and would ruin any coating/finish on the handle scales.
 
Yeah, unfortunately most methods of making aluminum grippier are going to ruin the finish. If it's smooth and flat enough checkering should definitely work, if not you could add some jimping to the spine and belly of the handle with a triangle file, this is probably the least intrusive way to permanently alter it. Sand/bead blasting is another option and seems to offer very good results and afterwards you can always you can always re anodize it. But for a knife with the clean lines of the SR1 I would probably go with some shallow jimping. Skateboard Deck tape is a great functional option, but doesn't usually turn out well in the form dept.
 
GT-5000 Guntape. Comes in 8.5" X 2" strips, 3 strips for $7. You cut it to desired shape / size.
 
jc57 said:
GT-5000 Guntape. Comes in 8.5" X 2" strips, 3 strips for $7. You cut it to desired shape / size.
Click to expand...

I don't know what this is but I was going to suggest skateboard tape. Guntape might be similar.

I'm not so sure about checkering. It seems like for checkering to really work it has to have sharp points. For a big flat-bladed knife I think if you just put texture around the edges of the scales you would have whipped 90% of the problem. I think it would be worth buying the cheapest crap large folder you could find and then experiment with it, even if it had molded handle or G10 scales.

I've seen various textured scales that people have done and I wonder how much traction they add. I've noticed with various tools and so forth that coarse "teeth" with sharp rectangular edges are the most effective for traction. You could file rectangular grooves around the edge of a handle with a normal flat rectangular file as a test.
 
Guntape was originally marketed to add grippiness to handguns. I have seen various mods where people applied it to cell phones, tablets, and knives as well. I have never used the product myself. Was just giving the OP some ideas to research. Benefit is that it doesn't permanently alter the grips like checkering would. Though I have no idea how easy it would be to remove later.
 
Sorry to zombie this thread, but I just purchased a knife with this particular situation & thus determined that if I'm going to get some grip, blasting the scales with aluma oxide will be the direction I'm going.
 
jc57 said:
GT-5000 Guntape. Comes in 8.5" X 2" strips, 3 strips for $7. You cut it to desired shape / size.
Click to expand...

Had to use it on a stainless framed folder. That sucka was slip-er-ee. Worked good. Thought about blasting it, but blasted stainless would have a propensity to start rusting faster. Still might try it tho.
 
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