Knife handle fix

H

Houndsman

Joined
Sep 11, 2020
Messages
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I've been working on a hidden tang knife for a while now. I am new to putting handles on knives and have somewhat limited tools and a limited budget as I am a college student. I was a little sloppy when drilling out the slot for the tang and when I sanded the handle down some of the epoxy is showed. I guess when drilling pilot holes they went off course and created little channels that the epoxy filled. I'm not too worried about strength as I am using high quality industrial strength epoxy (Gflex 650).

I'm looking to hide the epoxy spots as aesthetically as possible. Any suggestions? I have spent a fair amount of time on this piece and I'm really pleased with the wood and don't want to have to start over and buy the materials again. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
 
Channel out some of the epoxy, and mix super glue with saw dust from the handle material you used and fill the void.
 
I'd just chalk it up as a learning experience that's been bought and paid for, and go ahead and redo the handle with something else. The time and effort it would take to fix well enough to hide your mistake, could just as easily be halfway done with another handle.
 
Either redo or use it as a dirty user and learn from it.
I use a simular mistake here as a kitchen knife
 
You will spend far more time trying to mickey mouse a fix, then it would take to just replace the handle.
 
Don't feel too bad. I bet every one of us has ground into the tang hole and exposed the epoxy at least once. I have a friend who does it so often he dyes the epoxy to match the wood so it won't show much when it happens.

One possible fix it to make an insert. Cut a shape (arrowhead, for example) in a contrasting wood like ebony or walnut and then carefully inlet the area so the piece fits just right. Epoxy the insert in and when it is dry sand flush.
 
Houndsman said:
I've been working on a hidden tang knife for a while now. I am new to putting handles on knives and have somewhat limited tools and a limited budget as I am a college student. I was a little sloppy when drilling out the slot for the tang and when I sanded the handle down some of the epoxy is showed. I guess when drilling pilot holes they went off course and created little channels that the epoxy filled. I'm not too worried about strength as I am using high quality industrial strength epoxy (Gflex 650).

I'm looking to hide the epoxy spots as aesthetically as possible. Any suggestions? I have spent a fair amount of time on this piece and I'm really pleased with the wood and don't want to have to start over and buy the materials again. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
Click to expand...
Finish handle as it is and then use torch to light burn wood , then apply some oil .......
 
Wow, I know that look! I did that on a lovely piece of stabilised quilted maple. The epoxy was black and boy did it show. That was a knife that I filed the blade from O-1 steel and heat treated in a little one-brick forge in my kitchen. I know exactly what it feels like to have got that far with limited tools. I finished the handle for the exercise of it and was ready to hack it off and start again when a friend saw it and loved how it felt in the hand. He didn't care that it wasn't picture perfect. Think he still has it.

The suggestions about darkening the wood seem good, but to really make it hidden is going to be more work than it is worth. I wouldn't scrap it though! At least not until you have had a good while using the knife with that handle shape and learned all you can about how it feels, what you would change or improve.

Very best of luck

Chris
 
That doesn't look like like an expensive piece of wood. Take it off and add redo it if giving it away. If you're keeping it leave it and abuse it. It will still function just fine and look ok Heck if you want to replace it ill send a new block in the mail to help you out.
 
Find some fancy braided smaller diameter cord. File a nice, clean channel just as deep as the cord's diameter, centered up and proportioned right over the ugly spots. Wrap that cord neatly into that little channel and tie it off tightly. Coat lightly with epoxy to hold it in place.
 
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