Knife from file with teeth still on blade

M

MT Borg

Joined
Jun 14, 2007
Messages
224
I just saw two great knifes here made from farriers files with the teeth still on above and beside the grind and was wondering about the handle placement on them.

Are the file teeth removed under the scales? I imagine that if left on they would make for great epoxy grip, but am uncertain how they would look at the leading edge of the handle.

If the teeth are removed under the handle area, I think it would be tuff to exact match the handles cleanly to the removed tooth area... maybe not.

Just wondering, could you gently tap the scales into the files teeth for super grip? I imagine that the scales must be perfectly sized before epoxying on as they did not grind off the files teeth on the edges.

Thank you for your responses.
 
I had a chance to handle the one Nathan Dallyn made. He left the teeth on under the handles and it really looks nice - almost similar to 'filework' - :rolleyes: - can't believe I said that but you know what I mean. The black canvas micarta is real grippy and fits the whole look perfectly.

You could email him for details. He's an excellent maker and craftsman and I have learned a great deal from him.

Rob!
 
You're almost making me feel awkward Rob, thank you very much for the good word. Anyway, the files I'm using are mill bastards - farriers files have a much deeper, coarser tooth (from what I remember). Do yourself a favor and make a test piece - glue a piece of scale over a piece of file and let it cure, then see how hard it is to get off again. You have to watch what epoxy you use as some really don't cure well with a lot of gap (such as over file teeth). I use Loctite Depend 330 almost exclusively now and back that up with a mechanical fastener - but again, test things yourself and make your adhesive suit the application. Have some fun and expirement! And if you want to take look at mine, it's posted in the gallery in the maker's section.

If you don't want the teeth under the scales, you could always make a hidden tang. Just a thought.

Have a good one,

Nathan
 
The epoxy for handles is to seal out moister and debris not to hold the scales on.Pins,bolts and rivets are called fastners for a reason.Borg if you use a vise as a clamp you should be able to sink the teeth in somewhat.I bet the teeth left on would look cool,kind of like filework.Please show some pics of your project.:)
 
NDallyn said:
And if you want to take look at mine, it's posted in the gallery in the maker's section.

Nathan
Click to expand...

I really want to see those, but darned if I can track them down in the Gallery. Got a link I could use?

Thanks!
Geoff
 
McAhron said:
The epoxy for handles is to seal out moister and debris not to hold the scales on.Pins,bolts and rivets are called fastners for a reason.
Click to expand...


I'm not meaning to stir the pot or pick an internet scrap, but I do not believe this holds true with the advancements that have been made with adhesives. In many cases, the newer adhesives are used in an industrial application instead of fasteners. If you are talking about the older 2-part epoxies, then ok, but the newer adhesives (like the ones made by Loctite) are a whole different animal.

Here's the spec sheet for Loctite 330

http://tds.loctite.com/tds5/docs/330-EN.PDF

Look at the tensile and lap shear ratings - if properly applied, you could probably pull a small car with this stuff. When I first started using it for attaching scales, I had a set that wasn't ground evenly. Unfortunately, I didn't notice this until they had been clamped to the tang for approx 10-15 min. Having had the same error happen with 2-ton devcon epoxy on an earlier knife, I though I would be able to just pry the scales off (ironwood burl), clean them up and start over......... After that short clamping time, the adhesive bond was strong enough that it tore the wood apart instead of seperating the adhesive from the tang - meaning that the shear strength of the adhesive was higher than that of the materials I was using (again, ironwood). Eventually, after trying various chisels and hammers, I had to grind the scales off, refinish the tang, and grind a new set of scales.

Do I use corby fasteners and pins - definitely, a little extra never hurt - do I need to use a mechanical fastener if I have the right adhesive in the proper application - probably not.

Anyways, have a good one,
Nathan
 
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