I have two problems with my stag handle

[Naphtali]

I have a Cowry X Damascus knife whose profile strongly resembles a Randall Model 5-5, but with a convex grind. I have two problems with the handle: the stag handle is too large [too wide or thick]; the end nut protrudes from end cap.

1. How do I reduce the stag handle's thickness about 3 mm per side without otherwise harming the stag?

2. I don't have a decent graphic of the end nut-end cap. However, it closely resembles a standard Randall in protrusion. Flat-ended end nut is threaded onto tang. End nut appears to be capable of being tightened/loosened by way of a two-pronged screwdriver.

Were I to remove the end nut and counter bore the end cap, I would still have tang protruding. What do I do. OR whom can you recommend to fix these problems?

 

[STR]

I can't speak for other guys but in my own experiences working with stag unless you know the specifics of how it was bleached and polished to begin with it will be very hard to selectively buff on one spot without it standing out as different compared to the rest of the finish. You can certainly take it down 3mm but be aware that in doing that you will most likely have to refinish the entire handle so it all matches after you get it to where you want it.

Its also quite easy to burn mark stag if you are not careful when buffing it. Unless you want to do that on purpose I'd avoid keeping it on the same spot for too long when you are doing the buffing. Keep it light and keep it moving to avoid lettting it heat up.

Steve

 

[Ken C.]

I would contact the maker and ask if he can do the work you described.

 

[kamagong]

That's a great knife. Can you please email me the maker and the price?

 

[Naphtali]

K.V.:

I contacted the company that sold me the knife. I haven't yet had a response.
***
STR:

You have identified considerations that hadn't occurred to me. Thanks.
***
kamagong:

The knife [series] is Hattori-Seki's KD30. The model is KD30-1A. There is a shorter bladed version KD30-2A. There are several more models and styles in the KD30 series.

KD30s are made in extremely small numbers. Hattori makes bazillions of mass-market knives. I've never seen one, though. I'm a little off the paved road.

I recommend you E-mail Mr. Jemmy Iwahara jemmy@kencrest.us

Here are some of the KD30 models:

KD30-HANA Damascus Hunter - ungodly expensive. I mean THOUSANDS!

KD30-101 Damascus Skinner - misnamed. This appears to be a boot knife.

KD30-1A and 2A - Randall Model 5 look alikes. These and 5A are also available with blind tangs.

KD30-5A - a caping blade shape.

Hattori's Japanese URL for KD30s is http://www.hattori-hamono.com/kd30katrogu.html

Messrs. Hattori and Iwahara can arrange for completely built-to-order knives also, something that Randall doesn't really do anymore. And delivery times on one-off knives is less than a year. Catalogued KD30s should be available inside of six months if Mr. Iwahara does not have it in stock.
***
The following advice is rock solid truth. Sheath supplied with my knife was -- what's a tactful way of saying cheap and unworthy of the knife?

Dennis Kane of CatchnDreams catchndreams@durango.net made a superior sheath. I strongly recommend his "Klein Special" sheath. I think that's what he calls it.

You asked me what time it is, and I told you how the watch worked. . . . Sorry.

 

[Ebbtide]

I'm far from an expert and I don't even play one on the internet...
But...
Take off too much and you'll be down to the pith of the stag. That is the porus center of the antler & that is not attractive at all.

Again, only my opinion, if it were mine I'd leave it alone.

 

[Naphtali]

Just received a reply from Mr. Iwahara. Problem is solved. I send the knife back to Kencrest. Iwahara will arrange for Hattori to adjust when he returns from Blade Show in Atlanta the third week in June.
****
Regarding prices, Kencrest has the best price per unit I've found on the WWW. There are only three or four sellers of KD30 outdoorsman's knives -- many sell Hattori's lesser knives. And VG10 is not an inferior blade steel. It's just not Cowry X.

Since dollars and Yen float, any price might be off. How did I get here from there? What I did was as follows.

I owned a sweet Morseth 4.875-inch utility knife and wanted two more. Morseths are just very good FACTORY knives, right? Wrong! Collectors have found the brand. To obtain another Morseth in comparable condition would have cost me much more than $400.

So I looked at Twitty's Morseth copies. Oops, same price range, but his knives have double hollow grind. I loathe double hollow grind. Great for kitchen use; twitchy for dealing with a recently deceased elk.

So I looked at Randall knives. Prices are acceptable. Oops, four year wait for delivery unless I want to be in that "much more than $400" price range.

And then I discovered Fällkniven's Indun Cowry X knife. Blade steel's chemistry and hardness range showed it to be a nearly stainless steel top-end Morseth. But the price is absurd.

But wait -- Fällkniven doesn't make blades; Hattori makes them.

I discovered that Hattori has its own series of Cowry X Damascus knives, some of which are outdoorsman's. And the prices from Kencrest were at the top end of those I found for Morseth/Twitty/Randall/other top-of-the-line makers and well below Fällkniven's [Hattori] Indun.

Hattori's one ridiculously priced full-tanged knife is the exception. It's probably there for bragging rights, to make the most expensive knife in town.

So I disposed of my Morseth and replaced it with the KD30. Cost to me was about $100. I ordered two more, these being built to order. . . . I got sucked into the maelstrom.

And Kane's sheaths are yet an additional expense. But by this time I'm figuring the cost as being amortized for the rest of my life. Knives are much less expensive that way -- pennies a day.
****
So if $500-600 is too much to invest in something useful that your great grandchildren can use, you don't want to afford any KD30.