Knife kit..how to shape a handle?

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GarageBoy

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May 23, 2003
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My friend gave me a 90% completed knife kit that needs the handles made for it. How would I shape the slabs (I was given jigged bone, but it makes me squeamish, so I'm gonna get some CF or wood)? Thanks
 
Belt or disk sanders work well for this, if you have access to them. CF can be somewhat of a challenge to shape, so you may be better off with a dense or stabilized wood scale. Canvas micarta has an interesting character, but I've never worked with it so don't know practical it is for someone starting out.

If you lack the power tools, you should be able to cut to size with a fine tooth coping or hacksaw, then sand to fit by rubbing against a sanding block and epoxy the scales in place. Hand fitting takes plenty of patience but you'll have a one-of-a-kind example of your skill when you're done. Please let us know how it turns out.
 
Thanks! I'll try to find micarta first, then wood. I don't have access to any power tools. How do I trace the outline/obtain a good fit between the handle edge and the liner?
 
Depends on the kit, there are some you can get templates for marking out the scales. Otherwise I would draw round the liner on paper to get the shape and to get a good fit to the bolster measure carefully and mark that on. Cut out your new template slightly oversize and check for fit and adjust it till it is a tight fit. Then copy round it onto your chosen handle material. Do you still have the jigged bone scales and are they precut to fit? if so you can ignore all the above and copy round those.

Depending on what handle material you choose you should check to see if the dust can cause allergies or is toxic. Some woods and manmade handle materials can be nasty if the dust is inhaled. I always wear a dust mask when sanding as dust in the lungs can be no fun at all.

For tools a fret or coping saw, needle files and sandpaper (various grits upto 1500 grit for a smooth shiny finish) will do. If the scales are pinned or screwed on then you will need a drill. For epoxy I would reccomend JBweld which I use quite alot.
 
So, if you screw it up you start over.
Wood is way easier to work than micarta.
Bone is as easy as wood but smells worse ;)
You should have a vice. I have a small one that clamps onto a table top.
A file, sandpaper of varying grits and some time on your hands.
You can also get a 2" drum that fits into your standard drill. It uses premade sanding 'rings' that fit on the drum.
Go for it :D
 
I don't know whether to put threads about making kit knives in the Toolshed or Shop Talk. Let's try Shop Talk and see what happens ...

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Don't worry about screwing up, you will learn your best practices by screwing up. I have been doing this serious for 18 years and had to cut a handle off this weekend and put the second one on because I screwed up. You can't let it get you down, just do it again. When I first started out, I had a Black & Decker 1/4" electric drill with a sanding disc attachment on it and was able to rough shape handles fairly well, then finish with hand sanding. You have a drill press so get some drums of different sizes and use it. You can do it! If you choose Carbon Fibre get a respirator, A DUSK MASK IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH!
Good luck and post pics!
Jim
 
Easy does it with the screws. Much better than rivets, but still can split the scale if you bear down too hard. Epoxy doesn't require much clamping pressure, so just snug them up and stop. Cut one side to size, use knife tang as template to drill holes for that scale, then flip and repeat. Outer edges of the scales can be sanded down to the tang after the epoxy is hardened fully. You want plenty of squeeze out all around the scale edges to avoid gaps and voids. Cut off the excess glue before sanding.

I used to cut rivet head relief with a 16 penny nail head, but nowdays the proper size forstner-type bit will do nicely in your press. A sanding drum will help a lot with the outer contours.
 
GarageBoy said:
Alright then, wood it is! Where to get it is now the question.
Click to expand...


There are lots of places.

You can get your whole variety of well-known decorative woods (cocobolo, curly birch, desert ironwood, zebrawood, etc.) on ebay, for fair-but-not-great prices.

What I've been doing with moderate success is something like Ragnar describes here: http://www.ragweedforge.com/wood.html. Basically, go find a dead tree. Or something wooden that's broken. In a word, scrounge. If nothing else, it makes your knife more interesting.

"Yeah, check it out- I made the handles for this one out of the leg of a loveseat I found behind the Goodwill at 34th and Dodge. Not bad, huh?"

:D :thumbup:
 
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