Looking For Cheap Materials...

T

T.O. Rye

Joined
Feb 9, 2014
Messages
53
I'm looking to find some parts for a new knife I'm working on (you can see a pic of the knife under the thread "Knife Making Advice For A Newb"), and I would like to use steel cutlers rivets or corby screws as opposed to handle pins. I also need to find a good slow set epoxy or resin (preferably available from a common hardware store like Lowe's). In addition, I don't want to pay too much for the materials, and if possible I would prefer to avoid online purchasing. Any recommendations?
 
Does McEwen have a knifemakers supply store? If not, you will most likely have to buy the Corbys or Cutlers rivets on-line. Jantz and USA Knifemaker sell both. I've found that slow set epoxy's are hard to find in my local economy. I ended up ordering West G-Flex on line. Price? Well, if you shop on-line, it is easy to shop around for the best price but, there's not a lot of variance in the price of a few fasteners.

Bob
 
No, McEwen doesn't have much of anything really lol. Thanks for the info though Bob. Also, have you heard of any alternatives to rivets, screws, or pins that aren't just super complex?
 
Materials are the last place you want to cheap out on. They're basically the smallest cost of the knife, but very important for the end product... when you spend 5-30+ hours on a knife, do you want to look back and regret cheaping out on the materials?

You can use the brass/steel rods they sell at a lot of hardware stores. If you use good epoxy, they're just there for extra shear strength... or you can countersink/tapered ream and peen them for a mechanical bond. Otherwise, some people even use nuts and bolts (and trim the excess). Doesn't look pretty but I guess it works.

As for epoxy, I use G-flex like a lot of guys here. I'm not a fan of any of the stuff from hardware stores except maybe the industrial JB weld, which I only use on certain applications. Not sure it'd be great for actually securing a handle.
 
Maybe an idea to put you in the right direction, I think most of us understand being broke at one point or another. The bigger hardware stores, and even many of the smaller ones, have those racks of narrow bins with specialty hardware, poke through those bins and see if something might work, sex bolts, chicago screws, something along those lines. You might even see something that look/work like loveless bolts.

Peening is another alternative. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/newreply.php?p=13188010&noquote=1
Look at this link http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...handle-pins-necessary?highlight=peening+rivet
particularly Karl B Andersen's post.
 
You may be able find some used chainring bolts or front derailleur bolts at a bike shop. Find the shop that does the highest quantity of repairs etc. You can try begging or dumpster dive.
 
You can always use "hidden Pins". Drill shallow holes in both the handle and tang. Use enough epoxy to "butter" the slab/tang and fill the holes. When the epoxy sets up, you will have an invisible connection through the tang and between the handle scales. An alternative corbys might be to use plain stainless or brass rod. Depending on the knife, you might consider using JB Weld as an alternative to epoxy. It will take longer to set up, but has the downside of being colored (grey), so this would only be acceptable on hidden tang knives or knives where the grey would fit in with your design.

I can appreciate your concern about shipping costs. Sometimes they can get out of hand, especially if you are only ordering a small quantity or item. I don't recall if I have ever looked at Amazon for knife supplies, but they have a thing called Amazon Prime that includes free shipping. I know my wife has saved a lot of shipping on items she has purchased. You might want to look into that. It has some other "bennies" as well.
 
How often do you get to Nashville? Nashville has a West Marine store (which sells West System G-Flex epoxy) and 3 Fastenal stores.
 
Thanks for all the good info everyone, you've definitely given me a few new ideas to try out :), and as for going to Nashville, I could certainly justify a trip up there if I can find all the supplies I need. Jwesthurl you wouldn't happen to have addresses for the stores would you?
 
What are you guys buying at Fastenal? I ask because I just found out that there is a store about a mile from me.

Op- I've seen Devcon epoxy at a few places. I've seen that mentioned a few times, but I haven't seen the slow set yet.

Why don't you want to buy online? I don't buy online often either. I like to buy from mom & pop stores (although a lot of the knife supply places are probably exactly that), and for some reason I feel better dropping $$ in person. Part has to do with my wife seeing my purchases if I use the card. :o Cash is easier.
 
rscoffey said:
You can always use "hidden Pins". Drill shallow holes in both the handle and tang. Use enough epoxy to "butter" the slab/tang and fill the holes. When the epoxy sets up, you will have an invisible connection through the tang and between the handle scales. An alternative corbys might be to use plain stainless or brass rod. Depending on the knife, you might consider using JB Weld as an alternative to epoxy. It will take longer to set up, but has the downside of being colored (grey), so this would only be acceptable on hidden tang knives or knives where the grey would fit in with your design...
Click to expand...

I'm not trying to start something, so just bear with me...

For me, hidden pins are exactly that. Hidden PINS. I use all-thread actually and drill about 1/8" into each scale from the back. I then keyhole the pin holes to crate an hourglass shape when everything is together. I thread the all-thread into the tang leaving just shy of an 1/8" sticking out of either side. Then when it's all glued up the thread-rod is mechanically fastened to the tang, the epoxy grips the threads, and since the holes are undercut there is no way the scale is coming off without leaving a piece of itself behind. Peened pins are preferable to this method IMO, and only use hidden pins when absolutely critical for appearance reasons or, most frequently as back-up to fasteners that pass all the way through the materials...

JB Weld can be done on a scaled knife too as long as you mind your p's and q's keeping everything dead flat and square on contact. But isn't the best candidate out there. You should strive for zero gaps. Not just unnoticed gaps because the epoxy matches or is clear. This being your first, probably going to have a gap or two. Best to stick with clear. Most automotive stores actually have a better selection of epoxies. I've seen long cure quasi-flexibile stuff in Pep Boys... This is a good place for abrasives too... And also hit up any gunsmiths in your area. Most of them have made a blade or two in their day... plus they use a lot of the same stuff knifemakers do.

Look up a Loveless bolt or Loveless style fastener. I know the local Tractor Supply Company (another gem of a place for knifemaking/fabricating, etc) has threaded barrels in their screw and connector bins. You can make up a Loveless fastener out of those. There are also copper rivets, Chicago screws, heavy needles, thread.... d-rings... etc etc etc in the tack supplies for your sheath making.

You don't have to have a knife supply store on the corner to get it done as 85% of this stuff is shared amongst a few genre of hobbies. Really slick stuff like corbies though will be an order online type item no matter where you live... But hey, the knife is amongst humanity's oldest weapons... predating reliable epoxies or trick fasteners by several millenia. And we obviously didn't starve into extinction.

The best stuff is usually the stuff you were able to scratch together into a useful/useable creation with as few $$ spent while doing so. Now, if the goal is ultimately quality and thd knife is for a customer or a gift... spend the few extra $$ and get the best components you can afford.

-Eric
 
I have been doing business with Jeff Petzke at Jephco for several years now. He doesn't make cheap parts or materials but they are comparatively inexpensive. I buy nearly all of my fasteners from him because he makes them right in his shop and the quality is top notch. Just call him and tell him what you are looking for. 254-634-5678 http://www.jephcosupply.com/
 
I concur with Curt K! Jephco has high quality made in America top notch hardware for very reasonable prices, He carried more styles than anybody else even stuff that is hard to find. he always has stock. He doesn't carry epoxy but he stays up with the other suppliers and can tell you which supplier ( Knife or other wise ) has what and who's price is better. In a competitive business like knife supplies it's great to have a non- competitive reference guide that talks!
 
I rehandled a cleaver and was in the exact situation.

T.O. Rye said:
I would like to use steel cutlers rivets or corby screws as opposed to handle pins.?
Click to expand...

There's a knife gift shop here that also offers a knife sharpening service. When I asked the owner, he had some in the back he sold me for under $10. Look up knife-sharpening or cutler in the phone book or ask some local restaurants who they send their knives out to get sharpened.

T.O. Rye said:
I also need to find a good slow set epoxy or resin (preferably available from a common hardware store like Lowe's). In addition, I don't want to pay too much for the materials, and if possible I would prefer to avoid online purchasing. Any recommendations?
Click to expand...

I used Devcon's Two Ton epoxy. Even though it says "full strength in 8 hours", I let it cure overnight. It should be available at Ace or Lowe's. That said, you may want to read this thread. Note Ed Caffrey's remarks.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/676482-30-min-devcon-2-ton-epoxy

Hope this helps
-Matthew
 
Strigamort said:
What are you guys buying at Fastenal? I ask because I just found out that there is a store about a mile from me.

Op- I've seen Devcon epoxy at a few places. I've seen that mentioned a few times, but I haven't seen the slow set yet.

Why don't you want to buy online? I don't buy online often either. I like to buy from mom & pop stores (although a lot of the knife supply places are probably exactly that), and for some reason I feel better dropping $$ in person. Part has to do with my wife seeing my purchases if I use the card. :o Cash is easier.
Click to expand...

He was asking for a local store where he might be able to get some materials. Fastenal's seem to be about everywhere. For most things I can get better prices online but I've bought screws, and other assorted hardware, Dykem and some pieces of raw stock to try out for pins.
 
Dykem? Sweet. I've been wanting to try that. Tired of using sharpie, and I've read that Dykem holds up better. I think I saw someone mention that they carry some tool steels too. I'll head over there later today. Thanks for the info!
 
Just to show where people spend dollars to save pennies:
McEwewn to Nashville is about 60 miles. The 120 mile round trip would cost about $20 in gas as well as an afternoon of time. You can place an order from Jantz/ TKS/ USA Knifemaker/ etc in your spare time and have it at your door in a few days for half that in shipping. The prices from knife suppliers are reasonable, and you can be pretty sure you will get materials and supplies that are made for knifemaking. They won't sell the wrong resin, or steel that isn't good for knives.

I know people love to try and re-purpose things, but if I wanted a Corby bolt, I would get a Corby bolt, and not try and second purpose a bike part. Just because it will work does not make it the right part. A chain ring bolt from a bike is not going to be the right metal type, or have a matching counterbore available for it.

As has been said, parts are usually the lowest cost items on a knife build. Hours of time, lots of abrasives, and the finished product should have far more value than trying to save a dollar or two.
 
thanks to everyone who commented on this thread :), I think I'll order from Jephco like a few of you suggested. I have a couple of other questions that are somewhat off topic. 1) Have any of you ever used cedar heartwood for handle material? I have a few cut, split, and heat cured chunks in my garage, and it looks beautiful when it's properly polished. How well does it hold up though? 2) I saw a design for a primitive in-ground charcoal forge online, it uses clay as insulation for the forge and a steel pipe of about an inch diameter with holes drilled in it to supply air to the coals from below. Has anyone seen or used a design like this, and if so is it worth the time of making it or are there better options for a DIY forge?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top