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Ka-Bar Handle Kit 1217HC
- Thread starter NCSlice
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2013
- Messages
- 6,174
I recently got a couple of the kits to replace the handles on a leather-less Kabar 1219C2 and a leather-less Robeson Cutlery USN/MK2, but I haven't gotten around to them yet.
The tang on the shorties is narrower than that of the 1217s so the disks will have a lot of up/down slop. You'll probably have to cut your own "shorties disks". I didn't see a "Kabar Handle Kit 1250HC" on their website. I didn't think to ask them about that when I ordered my 1217 kits. The one shortie that I repaired for another person, I cut my own disks and reused the existing pommel, well, actually, I cut squares, and then sanded the "ugly blob of leather squares" down. He had managed to "melt" his kraton handle with some chemical crap.
The tang on the shorties is narrower than that of the 1217s so the disks will have a lot of up/down slop. You'll probably have to cut your own "shorties disks". I didn't see a "Kabar Handle Kit 1250HC" on their website. I didn't think to ask them about that when I ordered my 1217 kits. The one shortie that I repaired for another person, I cut my own disks and reused the existing pommel, well, actually, I cut squares, and then sanded the "ugly blob of leather squares" down. He had managed to "melt" his kraton handle with some chemical crap.
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2015
- Messages
- 3,599
Yeah, I figured thatd be the case for the sorties.
Which method do you prefer for removing the pommel when reusing it? Since the kit comes with a replacement it wont hurt my feelings if I screw up the larger ones, but it'd be good practice so I can reuse the shorty.
Also, did or do you bother with the cut outs on the handle?
I figure a small file will work on but I like my MK1 and might just go that route. At least it can be added later if I change my mind.
Which method do you prefer for removing the pommel when reusing it? Since the kit comes with a replacement it wont hurt my feelings if I screw up the larger ones, but it'd be good practice so I can reuse the shorty.
Also, did or do you bother with the cut outs on the handle?
I figure a small file will work on but I like my MK1 and might just go that route. At least it can be added later if I change my mind.
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2013
- Messages
- 6,174
With the "original" WW2 era 1219Cs/USN-MK2s, the pins can be gently punched out using a punch the same size as the pin since the pins go all the way through the pommel and tang.
With the newer versions by Kabar (model 1217 and variants) and the shorties, the pins are "blind pins", meaning they only go part of the way through (a smidgeon over 1/2 way). I get them out by "spinning" them out using a drill bit. Since the 1217HC comes with a replacement pin, I haven't really worried about messing them up too much when I take them out. My removal method is to use a pointy center punch to start a divot in the pin and then use a drill & bit to "spin" the pin loose and out.
The shorties pommel pins are shorter but the same diameter than the full-size pins. For the only one I've replaced, I spun it out as I "normally" do and then went to a metal shop and bought a small piece of steel rod the same diameter as the pin I removed - 1/8". I ground off one end into a little point like the kit ones are made and then cut it a little long. Then I ground it off after it was set in.
If I am trying to replicate the handle grooves, I carefully use a small rat-tail file to SLOWLY rasp away the leather. On the shorty, my friend was happy with a smooth leather handle, so all I did was sand it down, first with using a 2x72 belt grinder for the quick and dirty shaping, followed by hand sanding to the final contours.
With the newer versions by Kabar (model 1217 and variants) and the shorties, the pins are "blind pins", meaning they only go part of the way through (a smidgeon over 1/2 way). I get them out by "spinning" them out using a drill bit. Since the 1217HC comes with a replacement pin, I haven't really worried about messing them up too much when I take them out. My removal method is to use a pointy center punch to start a divot in the pin and then use a drill & bit to "spin" the pin loose and out.
The shorties pommel pins are shorter but the same diameter than the full-size pins. For the only one I've replaced, I spun it out as I "normally" do and then went to a metal shop and bought a small piece of steel rod the same diameter as the pin I removed - 1/8". I ground off one end into a little point like the kit ones are made and then cut it a little long. Then I ground it off after it was set in.
If I am trying to replicate the handle grooves, I carefully use a small rat-tail file to SLOWLY rasp away the leather. On the shorty, my friend was happy with a smooth leather handle, so all I did was sand it down, first with using a 2x72 belt grinder for the quick and dirty shaping, followed by hand sanding to the final contours.