how or where to rehandle a stick tang kukri

A

AlinCT

Joined
May 7, 2014
Messages
108
I have a salyan special I got here a while back with a horn handle. The handle was cracked, filled it with epoxy, but thinking of getting it rehandled at some point. Any direction folks here could point me at? Thanks.
 
What direction do you seek Alin? How to do it or where to get it done?
 
bawana- it's just Al :)

Ideally, I'd like to get it done by someone who knows what they are doing. If that's not an option, then I'd give it a whirl.
 
what the heck- if I do a bad job, I can always see about having someone else do it.

How would one go about doing it? This is really appreciated.
 
1) Grind off end of tang that is peened over the buttcap and keeper
2) Get a pot of boiling water going as hot as you can, totally submerge handle in it.
3) Have thick leather work gloves, a pair of pliers and an old knife you don't care about ready.
4) Boil for 10 minutes or so and check to see if laha has loosened. If not boil longer.
5) Work buttcap and keeper off with knife and/or pliers. Do not get hot laha on you. It will thoroughly burn you.
6) See if handle will also pull off using leather gloves, if not, boil more. Bolster will usually come off with handle. You may need to also boil and pry/pull to get this separated from handle.
7) Once these are removed scrape old laha off the tang.
8)Make handle to your liking and make an oversized hole all the way thru the center of the new handle. Hole must be oversized to accept new glue easily and this will also serve to keep tang from contacting the inner side of the handle and transmitting shock while chopping. Test fit to ensure everything is the way you want it to be. Also make sure handle is slightly shorter enough than the old one to give you enough tang to peen once buttcap and keeper are put back on.
9)I've used quick and long set epoxies and construction adhesive with great results. Glue bolster to handle. Let set. For first timers I'd recommend using the longer setting variety
10) Force glue into front of handle and bolster wiping away any excess before next step.
11) Mate handle to blade and tape in place so it cannot move.
12) Dab, daub, squeeze or otherwise as put much glue as the handle can take into it without any voiding. Let set for a day to harden up well.
13) Glue buttcap and keeper back in place. Let set up well.
14) Peen tang well over buttcap and keeper.
 
Number 14...peening the tang is soooo much easier to type out than to do in real time.

Best wishes, Al.
 
Karda said:
Surprisingly, the peening is probably the easiest part.
Best wishes to you also.
Click to expand...
I agree. I clamp the blade in a vise with some cardboard around the ricasso area to prevent scratching then use a light fast hammer and the soft metal spreads out nicely.
 
ndoghouse said:
I agree. I clamp the blade in a vise with some cardboard around the ricasso area to prevent scratching then use a light fast hammer and the soft metal spreads out nicely.
Click to expand...

I just set the point in a piece of 2X4 and carefully use a flat punch.
 
Karda said:
I just set the point in a piece of 2X4 and carefully use a flat punch.
Click to expand...

37a14c7ad4a214ec182fa531f47e8e7d


The last knife I peened didnt exactly have a point;) Otherwise Yep 2x4 would have worked nicely.
 
I made the mistake of showing that pizza cutter to my wife. She was quick on the why don't you make us one of those.

Yeah right...............................
 
snowwolf said:
Look at that show off. :p
Love the patina btw, is it cheese work, tomato sauce or a bit of both?
Click to expand...
Thats both cheese and tomato patina and whatever else is in the way. Anchovies included :D
With your skills you could make one Mr. B. Takes some time but im pretty sure you could do it! Maybe you could get it done before Christmas!;)
 
The following photos were taken when the butt cap on my Katunje was customized recently. I'll explain what the photos are trying to depict.
A%20%20Dented%20Cap.jpg
[/URL][/IMG] The cap was dented.
B%20Cap%20Removed.jpg
[/URL][/IMG] The tang filed down and the cap removed. The Laha is exposed.
C%20%20Tang%20Measured.jpg
[/URL][/IMG] Laha chiseled carefully off and the tang measured to know how big of a hole needed to be drilled in the new cap.
D%20%20Cap%20Annealed.jpg
[/URL][/IMG] New cap was sawn out, hole drilled, and annealed.
E%20%20Cap%20Prepared.jpg
[/URL][/IMG] Inside of the cap was scuffed up so epoxy would have more surfaces to attach to.
F%20Epoxy%20Applied.jpg
[/URL][/IMG] Black Acraglass gunsmith grade epoxy was mixed and applied to the inside of the cap.
G%20Handle%20Epoxied.jpg
[/URL][/IMG] Epoxy was applied to the handle to even out irregularities or low spots.
H%20%20Handle%20Peened.jpg
[/URL][/IMG] The tangwas then peened over to serve as the clamp to hold the cap in position while the epoxy cured.
I%20%20Cap%20Engraved.jpg
[/URL][/IMG] The tang was filed off smoothly and the cap was filed, polished, and engraved with hopefully a little better design.
J%20%20Handle%20Reshaped.jpg
[/URL][/IMG] The "points" on the handle and cap were intentionally blunted to make the grip more comfortable to my hand.
 
Speaking of skills! Dang doc! Thats some awesome engraving! I like the countersink and flush look without the keeper. Nice work!
 
Damn...Bookie has some serious skills. If I had skills like Mr. B, Bookie, Ndog, Pugs, JW, and a few others here on this forum, I'd be so much more useful around the house, but, alas, I am a poor excuse for a handyman, and I'm the one who spends enormous amounts of funds, to pay someone else to do a simple task, that most on this forum could probably do in their sleep.
 
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