Knife holding for finishing

[Sean Yaw]

Hi, everyone. I'm wondering how people hold completed (peened together) knives for final handle finishing. I've seen those cool vises for fixed blades, but I don't think that would work well for a non-locking folding knife. I also imagine that for screwed together knives, you can finish the components separately and then assemble. Mounting a fully-assembled, contoured, knife so that you have full access to one side of the handle is pretty tricky. I don't really like my solution (metal bar + lots of tape), so I'd love to hear how other people do it. Thank you.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

I hold it in my hand.

 

[REK Knives]

Look up "Amazing Mold Putty” by Alumalite... Apparently after you mix up the two parts you can form it to whatever and it turns into a solid rubber material. May come in really handy in your situation!

I would use that or moldable plastic beads... Heat them up slightly and you can mold them like putty. When cooled back down it is a hard plastic.

Hope that helps!

 

[AVigil]

I tape the blade and use that as a handle.

 

[Hengelo_77]

I've only made a few slipjoints and I used the fixture I made for fixed blades. It is not perfect but doable

 

[navman]

I saw a video of Alec Steele using hot glue to secure a knife to a 2x4 with a cut-out to support the handle...that might work.

 

[Taz]

Japanese craftsmen use a substance that get soft and sticky when heated up and then hardens up. They use it to hold tsuba, menuki, fuchi and kashira when working on them and other small parts. I cannot remember what it is called?

 

[pafka]

Japanese craftsmen use a substance that get soft and sticky when heated up and then hardens up. They use it to hold tsuba, menuki, fuchi and kashira when working on them and other small parts. I cannot remember what it is called?

pitch?

Red Chasing Pitch – Mystical Mythical Metalwork

mysticalmythicalmetalwork.wordpress.com

 

[Taz]

pitch?

Red Chasing Pitch – Mystical Mythical Metalwork

mysticalmythicalmetalwork.wordpress.com

Yes, thats it! I kept thinking it was a putty, but it was pitch!