Lanyard holes?

U

unky_gumbi

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Aug 28, 2009
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When using stabilized wood is is still necessary to use a lanyard tube in the handle or is the stabilized wood strong enough to hold up on its own?

I have a couple of knives I am working on right now and planned on using SS pin material, but the only lanyard tubing I have is brass right now.
 
I always use a tube in wood,even stabilized afraid it would crack on the grain.
On composites with or without is OK.
Stan
 
OK thanks, that's the same fear I had I just wanted it confirmed. Guess that means that I am hitting up all the hobby shops today looking for SS 1/4 tubing or go with brass pins.
 
unky_gumbi said:
OK thanks, that's the same fear I had I just wanted it confirmed. Guess that means that I am hitting up all the hobby shops today looking for SS 1/4 tubing or go with brass pins.
Click to expand...
Hobby and hardware stores usually have the thin walled stuff which I think looks cheesy. The various knife supplier seem to carry heavier walled stuff which to me looks much better finished.
 
I was kind of hoping to have the knives finished up this weekend so if I ordered from a knife supplier it wouldn't be here in time:( I thought I still had some laying around, but either I have misplaced it or used it some place else and forgot about it. I have plenty of brass 3/16 pin material (close to 12 feet) and a decent sized piece of 1/4 brass tube (just under a foot). I checked a couple of hobby stores here and came up empty handed. I could just skip the lanyard hole too, just because its drilled in the steel doesn't mean I have to use it
 
I have knives made with basic hardwood handles that are over 50 years old and no reinforced holes. They are users and are still in great condition. I always thought the tubes were more for looks than function, not that they wouldn't help to bulletproof the knife.
 
Unky, there's another way you can do the lanyards and not have to use metal tubes or even drill holes in the handle material! :D
I think it looks better than having a hole through the handle and
it's easy to do.
Here's a pic of some of my neck knives I did that way. I thought I had a pic showing the butt end with the lanyard and all but I must have lost it.

mightymitetrio.jpg


This is how I used to do the lanyards on some of my knives back in the day. You just drill a 1/4" hole in the tang about 1/4" from the edge and to make room for lanyard under the scales, you use a 1/4" straight cutting router bit to cut a slot about 1/2" long. If you don't have a router or any router bits, you can use a milling machine or drill press and end mills.
Hope this comes in handy!!!
 
Both knives I am working on will have maple burl scales, one is natural unstabilized scales that I will either do the crazy glue finish on or tung oil and the other will have blue dyed and stabilized scales.
Both have nearly identical profiles but one is convex and the other is a scandi grind. I am doing them for an extremely belated 1000th post give away:o. the winner will get the choice of the two and the other will stay with me. They are my best so far, just wish I had the means to put a makers mark on them.
polished_b.jpg


polished_a.jpg
 
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Just a suggestion but you might go to a sporting goods store where they cut down arrows. I have picked up some graphite waste ends, but have not used them. They would have aluminum there too, maybe, no brass.
 
I just decided to forgo the lanyard hole on the one knife, when the scales for the second one show up I will look at using the brass pin stock and tubing I have here, but if it doesn't match up to my expectations I will skip the lanyard hole on that one too. Next pay check I will be going out and buying a length of 1/4 SS tubing so I have it on hand at all times.
 
Unky!...... the patina on that bottom blade looks just like the Blessed Virgin Mary using a camera! ..... it's a miracle, dude. Call the National Inquirer!!!!!

The knife is PRICELESS


Rick:p
 
I like to use copper tubing for lanyard holes, in both knives and firesteels. I just buy it by the foot at the local ace hardware.
 
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