Recommendation? How do I repair this handle?

S

SuzukiGS750EZ

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Dec 30, 2008
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Hey guys. I have a kershaw military 4351 boot knife i'd like to repair. It was my grandfathers. It's made from POM (polyacetal) and i'd like to repair the crack not only to blend it but to prevent further damage. It's sat in it's box all these years so it's probably from temperature change.
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Idk if it will ever look the same?

You could spread the scales apart slightly, then squirt some crazy glue in the cracks. Then clamp gently or wrap tape around it for even pressure. Make sure no excessive glue contacts the tape or clamps. Wipe off. You might be able to sand gently but it's going to make it lighter colored/fuzzy.

I'd probably spread/glue, then wipe right away with alcohol or something. Use glue sparingly. Not too much.

Or rehandle it completely. If you submerge the handle in boiling water it will soften the epoxy, and you can push the pins out....
 
unwisefool said:
Kershaw might be able to repair it, I would send them a quick note.
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I didn't even think about that.
I tend to do everything myself, but This Is better advise than I gave
 
Contacting Kershaw is the best decision, I think.

The next (costly) idea would be to have a craftsman replace the scales professionally. You could go with a dark material that would not only honor the original but maybe be more durable as well.

If you were going to do it yourself (the way my late grandfather would have preferred), Super Glue or epoxy mixed with a bit of charcoal dust has been an effective patching method to hide the cracks on Buffalo horn handles. Flexing it a bit then working it in, wiping off the excess, and buffing it a bit before it fully cures seems to be effective. Not invisible but the end result looks clean.

Best of luck.
 
SuzukiGS750EZ said:
I'll re- handle it myself, but what hardware would I want to buy?
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You'll need some G-Flex Epoxy, Steel pin material available at any knife supplier, and the scales of whatever material you'd want to replace the handle with. Measure the diameter of the current pins and buy pin stock based on that. There are custom POM knife handle scale makers. You'd just have to find them online, or use something else, like paper micarta, which is also available at knife supplier.

It's not necessarily an easy job, if you've never done it before.
 
The tricky part of replacing the scales on that one will be getting an exact fit to the curve on the bolsters. It will take lots of slow careful hand-sanding to get right. The other consideration is that you can't sand the new handle scales while in the knife, to make them flush, without potentially scratching up the finish on the bolsters. Not a simple first project.

Or you could just push small bits of kwik-set jb weld mixed with black plastic dust into the cracks and it should look close and certainly be a strong bond.
 
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If Kershaw can help that great. Otherwise I would rather leave it alone. I don’t there anything that you can do to the knife that would leave it looking as new.

n2s
 
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