ideas for refinishing wood handle?

C

christcl

Joined
Apr 13, 2004
Messages
438
When I get my m43 back from Dan (getting a mean convex edge), I'm thinking about making the handle fit my hands better. I have shorter, pudgier hands. Any ideas? Sandpaper, grit, techniques...and also refinish with some sort of oil? And any comments about the 2 metal bolts that might jut out more if I sand down the handle significantly? Thanks!

Oh Dan, how is the m43 coming along? Any chance I might get it back next week--will be going on a camping trip the weekend after this next one. Also, if it gets done sometime next week, email me, since I am moving out off my old apartment and to a new place so I can give you the new address. Thanks!
 
christcl--Rusty is your man for radical handle modifications. He has fairly small hands and has taken down the handles on some of his khuks significantly, including, if I'm not mistaken, filing down the tang on an M43. As far as finishing a wood handle, do a search for tru-oil on the HI forum and you'll find tons of info on at least one approach to handle refinishing. It's a bit time consuming, but in my opinion, the results are well worth the effort. I don't know how much sanding you can get away with before if affects the metal pins holding on the handle slabs. I've sanded my M43 handle a bit, but it has horn slabs, so I didn't really take that much material off at all.

--Josh
 
I've refinished a few handles and have posted on the subject several times here. Check the archives. But, I also wonder about the rivets on the "slab handled" khukuris. How much head is there, before I get to a pin instead of a rivet :=) I'm looking at an AK Garud (from MWKK04) and an M43 that in my opinion, would benefit from some judicious application of file work, abrasive paper, penetrating stain, and an oil finish.
Anyone know what those rivets look like? Are they "standard" cutler's rivets? Bolts? What?
:confused: :confused: :confused:
 
Redo it like this ;)
better2.jpg
 
Since someone has to say it, I'll be the first.

Start filing/sanding and you tell us Brian. And take pictures. ;)

SEriously, don't know, never really wanted one of the full tang chiruwa Khuks, think the transfer of shock would bother me too much.

And christcl, definitely listen to suggetsions people have given here. With the Satisaal, I think I went up to 1000 or 1500 grit on one I redid(which one of forumites has), but that was probalby excessive(did get the look of virtual glass under the truoil). Again, on truoil, went a bit over board, with 20 or 30 coats, with steel wool to knock down edges at first, and then wet 1000 or 1500 grit sandapper for final few coats, then a paste wax polish. Looked amazing, but wasn't best finish/treatment for a using khukuri. Generally I'd say most woods on a good user look fine sanding up to 600 grit, go WITH the grain, and then apply finish of your choice that ends in oil: Tru Oil, Boiled(make sure to get Boiled, non boiled won't dry) linseed oil, teak oil(think that's a real one, may have made it up ;) ) etc. I like tru oil, but that's partly becuase I already had it when I tried first one, and was happy with the results.
 
I redid the handle of a JKM-1 because one of the horn slabs had warped away from the tang. The "rivets" were aluminum rod. They made a loose fit with the slab holes and the somewhat irregular tang holes, which appeared to have been hot-punched. The pins had been peened since they were a little wider at the ends, and bent in sort of an S-shape. Laha filled up the spaces. Now, pins cut from a brass bolt and JB weld are holding the slabs on.



Dunno what they use on the khuks. Try scratching it to see how soft it is, I guess. I find it a little difficult to believe than they would do it the same way on the choppers, but since those are the only two examples I have with slab handles, I can't say.

If the pins are hard metal, just shape the area around the pins and the pins with a file, then, a file wrapped with sandpaper. Wood or horn can be shaped just fine with a fine metal file, and of course it will take down the metal pin.

Avoid sanding without such an inflexible rigid support until the final poalishing stages, and the metal pin should not protrude.

I used this method to reshape the horn handle of the JKM-1 after I glued it up with peened brass pins. A second JKM-1 that I've worked on seemed to the the aluminum pins also, there was no problem with having protruding pins there either.

Another approach would be to intentionally let the pins stick out and try peening, say about 2/3 of the way through reshaping. You might make up for filing off some of the peened parts, and there is still some shaping left to do, so any protrusion that remains can still be taken down.

Good luck, and somebody tell us what the pins on the big blades are like!
 
The pins on my 18" Chiruwa AK are either aluminum or some other soft white metal. They seem to be the same as what firkin found on the JKM-1. A bit of warning, if peening them, don't get too carried away with the hammer. You could split the handle.
 
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