How do you seal the slot on finnish knives?

L

Loosearrow

Joined
Apr 14, 2008
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Picked up a finnish knife today. The small metal cap in front of the handle has an open slot. I would think blood and rotting debris could be a health hazzard. What do you all do to fill it in to take care of that concen? Seems like an unused Isakki Jarvenpaa oy. Might be a lightweight do all knife or to use as a loner.
 
I've dealt with this problem before. Get some Marine grade epoxy, and fill it using a toothpick. Put the knife tip up when doing this, and let it sit like this till it cures. I like to tape the bolster, leaving the space accessable, so I don't make a mess. Hope this helps.
 
If the gap is wide enough, put some metal powder into it then fill with sugerglue.
For not so wide gap, just fill with glue.
 
Just pick up some devcon 2ton epoxy, or any clear epoxy for that matter, and fill it like hiwa suggested. I think you'll find that it doesn't collect as much crap as you would think, but if it makes you feel better, just throw some epoxy in there, then you don't have to worry about it.
 
Has anybody tried soldering?

I don't think it would bother the temper, but on a carbon blade would that promote rust?
 
Soldering is my favorite method to fill this kind of gap but good soldering
generally needs clean surface, which is the hardest part to achieve
in this case I think. Also the handle scale material and epoxy may be
damaged with soldering heat.
The edge can be protected by covering with wet cloth or something.
 
Good ideas. When I heard of soldering, I then thought of some pewter to pour in the slot. It might not flow without a weep hole.
 
What color is the cap? JB Weld might actually sort of match the color if it is dull gray. Tough stuff.
 
per ragnar

Lead Free Pewter

Poured pewter was a common early method of bonding the blade to the handle. A lead-free alloy is preferable where the knife may be used in preparing or eating food. This is a bright, clean casting alloy of tin, antimony and copper (Sn 92%, Sb 7.75%, Cu 1/4%) in convenient bell shaped ingots of about 3/4 pound. These should give ample metal for several knives
 
or, you could ignore it.

The statistics on dead Scandanavians due to toxity from the leaching of rotting matter in their pukko slits indicate a steady decline from a high of .001 to .000.


:)

Have fun.
 
LooseArrow, if it is a wooden handle and the gap is not too big, I just put drops of boiled linseed oil into the gaps, with the blade pointing up. I let it dry, and repeat, until the linseed oil hardens in the gap and seals it. If it is an older puukko, you have the benefit of getting some linseed oil into the inside of the handle, and into the dry wood. John
 
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