Machete Modifications?

22-rimfire

22-rimfire

Joined
Nov 20, 2005
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I'm wondering what you all do with your machetes in terms of modifying them to make them more comfortable to use?

Handles are obvious.... they are usually plastic or wood, but some of the more expensive machets have micarta handles. So how do you decide what to do? Are you using sand paper? A belt sander? What grits? Most don't have screws that you can just unscrew the handles? Special tools? What do you replace the pins with?

I don't have a belt sander and I have no intention of buying one. Sanding by hand takes forever and you end up with all those scratches.

I tend to be a person who believes that short of sharpening a machete, it should be ready to use without hot spots. Hence I have machetes that lie around and are never used.
 
In terms of comfort it it's a model with scales rather than injection molded right onto the tang, I flush the scales to the tang and then round off the corners. I use a belt sander but for manual methods you don't have many options other than rough carving or rasping to shape and then finishing up with sandpaper. Just make sure you have a good spread of grits and you'll be good. If working micarta I find that using a file works well.
 
Other than sanding at the top and bottom along the tang, how do you decide what will work to remove hotspots. I can't see myself sanding for hours a machete that cost $20 as that is not a labor of love for me. It is just not in my DNA. Do most people remove the handles to sand?

I read that there is a technique that people who use machetes employ that does not require an "iron grip" on the handle and this is more comfortable for chopping. Any thoughts? Should the machete move at all in your hand?
 
The handle stays on the tool during sanding. :)

In terms of technique, the machete should not be held in a hammer-fist grip with the swing coming chiefly from the muscles of the arm, but should instead be a rolling extension and snap of the arm with force being generated by the compounding pivot action of the shoulder, elbow, and wrist combined with a loose "pinch" grip of the forefinger and thumb and a squeezing action of the hand. It's almost more like you're casting the forward mass of the blade towards the target like you're casting a line from a fishing rod. Joe Flowers did an exceptional video that demonstrates the technique as well as a lot of tips and tricks.

[video=youtube;uza5_281gqU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uza5_281gqU[/video]

In terms of hot spots, do some practice snaps in the air and pay attention to where the handle rubs your fingers, the pad of your thumb, and the heel of your palm. If there are any spots that rub uncomfortably then round or thin those zones to suit. :)
 
The only machetes I own atm are a Martindale bolo and Ontario 18'' military machete. Both have hard plastic handles and the only mods other than sharpening them I've made is sanding the handles (by hand) down so that they're flush with the tang. Took me about 30 mins for each machete to do but they are alot more comfortable now. As for scratches on the handle afterwords, I just went over them with a smoother sand paper and that took care or any roughness left by the original sanding. Don't know what grits I used, they were just old peaces of sandpaper I found lying around.
 
Thanks. Think I'll break out the Ontarios and get to sanding. Should be interesting. My Condor Puerto Rican could use some thining on the handle as well.
 
I replaced the Imacasa plastic handle, reshaped the tip, and reprofiled the edge. Much mo betah now
 
In reality you have to use a bit to figure out where the hot spots are liable to be.

I sand it flush with the tang, make sure it feels good where the top of my fingers and the web of the thumb make contact. Especially with a pinch grip its important that area rides nice. I make sure it feels good at the bottom where my pinkie might jam up if I have to grab it at the end of the handle for more reach.

I am tending toward Tramontia machetes more and more as the handles (for me) need the least tweaking to fit well.

After that, a nice edge, a good sheath, and some work.
 
I have found that a 4 in one hand rasp works great to reshape a wooden handle, followed by sandpaper to smooth it out. the rasp makes quick work of the soft wood handles on machetes. and the rounded end of the rasp works great to shape the handle where your thump and finger grip, and where your pinkie wraps around.
 
deltablade said:
I have found that a 4 in one hand rasp works great to reshape a wooden handle, followed by sandpaper to smooth it out. the rasp makes quick work of the soft wood handles on machetes. and the rounded end of the rasp works great to shape the handle where your thump and finger grip, and where your pinkie wraps around.
Click to expand...

Yep a 4-1 Will get R Done.
 
This Imacasa 14.5" bolo feels really good after some handle, and tip mods. So far in my machete mod experiments, this has required the least amount of time and work to get it into a configuration that works for me. The length is good, not too long. Weight forward makes very effective chopping. And the wood handle with full tang can just be shaped and sanded...no need to replace the handle as with plastic. All in all, I am very happy with this one.


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I use a 4 in hand rasp, or my Demel tool with a sanding drum! I make the handle comfortable and a ground a nice bevel for vegetation and a more acute one for wood.
 
I've got a stock Martindale Golok. Some maker around here used to do major mods on these. Does anybody remember who he was or have a pic? I was thinking he put Micarta on for slabs and did a regrind?
 
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This Marbles 14" feels so much better with a little sanding on the handle after removing the paracord. I also reshaped the tip which works better for me. Should I stain the handle to darken it before treating it with oil, or just treat as is, or paint it orange? ?
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after

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I had thought I would remove the camo, yet this design brings to mind some serious stuff.
Think I will keep it for awhile.



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This Cold Steel smatchet feels better for me with the spinne reshaped and the top guard removed
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Finally got the shape satisfactory for me. The machete is lighter and much better balanced, yet still heavy enough for serious chopping. The double edge at the point isnt really useful, and potentially dangerous, so I am thinking about grinding the sharpened top edge off while keeping the blade shape . any thoughts?

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