? how to finish handle on damascus blade, remove handle, etch, re-attach

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godogs57

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Apr 16, 2004
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How do you folks glue your scales on, grind and shape your handle and then remove to etch the blade? I am wondering what the trick is, because I would be attaching via screws and then grinding over the screw heads, which would then not allow me to remove. Know what I mean? There has to be a trick I don't know about.

Thanks in advance.
 
Usually I finish and etch the blade first- then put a tight layer of paper towel and then blue masking tape over the blade, and install/finish the guard and handle. I have re-etched an already finished blade before, what I did was apply a thin layer of nail polish over the guard and taped the handle real well, then using a glass (see-through) etching jar, suspended the knife point down until the face of the guard was barely submerged. It worked OK. Most makers I believe use the former method, though.

P.S. One tip- when soldering or better, epoxying a guard to a damascus blade, (or any blade) I generally try to have the guard face polished already. You may still have to clean it up later (especially if you solder) but this makes it much easier. For a knife without a guard or bolsters, I try to shape the ricasso-side ends of the grip as fully as possible and polish them as well. Masking tape is your FRIEND.
 
Thanks Salem, I appreciate your response, but I was talking about a full tang knife, not a hidden tang. I want to attach the scales, shape, remove the scales and then etch for good.

My reason is I hate the way knives look when someone etches, shapes the slabs and you have a "shiny" tang exposed. Sure, you can etch the shiny tang, but it never etches as dark as the rest after that...
 
Oh sure, that is a bit different. If you are using Corby bolts you can use a pair of "mock-up" bolts and back them out after shaping with a sharp punch or small chisel, or if you are using pins do the same thing and press them back out later... I often do this with bolsters. I'm sure there are quite a few other methods, I'll be interested to hear them as well.

Just a thought, you could use mock up pins the same size as your corby pilot, shape the grip and tang together, press the pins out, etch the blade, then counter bore for the corby heads, epoxy, and install... you would only have to grind/ spot polish right around the bolt heads after installation.
 
The way I do it is pin the handles on and start shaping them. Go ahead and finish them down as far as you go. I usually take them down to 600 and then 0000 steel wool. Make sure you sand the spine down this far as well. Once shaped drive the pins back out and etch the blade as far as you usually go. Then epoxy up. -Burton
 
I had heard of folks using just enough glue to hold em on, and then pop the scales off to etch....sounded risky if you know what I mean. With my luck I could envision broken scales.
 
You can CA the handles on and do the work and then just carefully knock them off, clean and etch the blade then rehandle. You may have to do some light sanding to make sure the CA is off the handle scales or just a touch of remover but it won't be that difficult. If you are leary about using CA, use paper and a light layer of wood glue. Woodworkers do it all the time when they need to make matching ends. The glue holds well while working and then just pulls apart when finished. Light sanding takes off the paper and excess glue. Once the handles are back on you will need to do some light finishing with high grit paper - 1500 or so but this should polish the etch not take it off.
 
Here is what I do. I get the steel complete, but unetched. Drill the slabs and then bolt them on tight with regular bolts the same size as what ever I plan to attach them with. You can get get all thread in very small sizes should you want to use say 1/8" pins. Then I saw and grind the scales to shape everywhere but right around the protruding nuts. Finish the edges to 600 grit. Then take off the bolts. Even it I have rounded the nuts down a bit I can still get a hold of them enough to remove. Then etch the steel. Finish sanding the scale edges with your finer grits. You could do this attached but, with 1200 and up grit paper your are not removing very much material, almost none more like polishing. If you want you can finish the side areas of the scales off the tang and and then do a superglue finish and not get the super glue on the steel. If I am using something like iron wood or stabilized wood, I just reassemble the knife with the etched steel, using my glue and pins. Clean up the glue and when glue is hardened, tape off the blade and the edges of the scales, grind the bolts, or pins and the sides of the scales to where I want them and sand to the finish I want. If I completely finished off the scales with super glue or something, I glue the scales on in position with waxed up long dummy pins to align. then when glue is hard remove the long pins. Then slowly grind the real pins to the correct length, when I do this I dome the pins when they are just a bit long by putting them in my cordless drill and running them end on into a fine slack belt. When they are just right, I buff the ends and glue them into their holes. Clean the holes out with some acetone or something before gluing. I get a nice fit and everything looks good.
 
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