Make custom out of WW-2 USMC Ka-Bar

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Fatstrat

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I've got an old WW-2 USMC Ka Bar knife blade that the handle material is long gone on. Blade/tang are in decent condition and I'm wanting to put some type of different handle and guard on it. Perhaps wood or stag.
Has anyone done this? Any tips?
I've been looking at Knifemaker supply websites for idea's. And have ordered the book "The $50. Shop".
 
If its authentic WWII then maybe replace the leather stacked washer handle. Kind of like restoring an old car. There are some great tutorials on how to do that kind of handle on here.
 
Garrett Schmidt said:
If its authentic WWII then maybe replace the leather stacked washer handle. Kind of like restoring an old car. There are some great tutorials on how to do that kind of handle on here.
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I considered that. But as a longtime milsurp enthusiest I believe that just as w/the guns, unless an extremely rare piece, originality is key. And a refurb generally has little value as a collectible.
There are millions of these knives in original condition out there. I own a couple and I'm a big fan of the quality. IMO there may be better knives available. But not much better!
So I thought this old blade might be a good vehicle to get my feet wet in knife making.
To be a little more pointed in my question. I want to use handle panels of some type. Therefore I will need to probably shorten the tang a little, and drill some holes in it for screws/rivets.
Since the tang is very narrow, it appears evident that I will need to inlet the inside of the panels so that when attached, the tang is completely inclosed. I do not plan to install a pommel. And since the tang is so narrow, the screw/rivet holes will need to be pretty small. Can someone reccomend which handle panel mounting hardware (screws/rivets) might work best in this situation?
I would be interested in seeing the leather handle replacement info as an option tho. New to website and not really sure yet how to navigate. Could you post some links? Thanks for your reply.
 
To be a little more pointed in my question. I want to use handle panels of some type. Therefore I will need to probably shorten the tang a little, and drill some holes in it for screws/rivets.
Since the tang is very narrow, it appears evident that I will need to inlet the inside of the panels so that when attached, the tang is completely inclosed. I do not plan to install a pommel. And since the tang is so narrow, the screw/rivet holes will need to be pretty small. Can someone reccomend which handle panel mounting hardware (screws/rivets) might work best in this situation?
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Here's how to do that. it's an easy to follow tutorial on how to make a hidden tang knife

I would be interested in seeing the leather handle replacement info as an option tho. New to website and not really sure yet how to navigate. Could you post some links? Thanks for your reply.
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The same site has a tutorial for this as well. it can be found here

hope this helped!

Jason
 
WOW, sure looks like I came to the right place!
Just what I was looking for. And I already own most of the tools mentioned. Also surprized that no screws/rivets needed! Might knife size make a difference in this?
I may be back later w/more questions, but you've certainly fixed me up well for now. Thanks so much!
 
No, the modern epoxies mentioned are usually several times stronger than the handle material it's bonding to. A large heavy blade can use the same process, case in point, many of the bigger bowies are made this way. Ofcourse a full tang will always be stronger. especially in the chopping area. But I think you'll find the hidden tang to be strong enough for many years of EDC use.

Jason
 
Thanks again. That article opened up my possibilities. At first was thinking of bought handle panels. But now I'm leaning toward creating my own shape/design out of Oak. Probably Stained/finished in a black color. At my work I have access to lots of oak pallets for wood material to experiment with. Is there any problem w/Oak as handle material?
 
None at all! Oak makes a very good handle material, IF YOU SEAL IT. For a cheap black stain you can sand it to about 120 grit, then use black leather shoe dye, or ritz dye for that matter, followed up with a sealer and then polished to atleast 400 grit/0000 (4 ought) steel wool. I like a cyanoacrylate sealer(super glue) use a foam paint brush to spread it. One side at a time, let dry then do the otherside to avoid runs.
 
What an awesome project. I've done two of these. I'll try to find pics, but I shortened the handle by about an inch to reduce snag when carried SOB. I gave the pommel a teardrop profile with a nice toe, and removed the top half of the grossguard. I also added 1 1/4" serrations. My customer wanted a more "commando" look to his knife for a Sulsa training workshop. I liked it so much I did one for myself. My handle came out different tho. This is a fun project, you're gonna have a blast!
 
Legend says there's not an animal you can't kill, a tree you can't chop down, or a can you can't open with a Marines Ka-Bar...
 
mykulmorris said:
Legend says there's not an animal you can't kill, a tree you can't chop down, or a can you can't open with a Marines Ka-Bar...
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Interesting side note. Camillus was the actual designer and 1st MFG of the USMC knife. Ka-Bar, whose name for some reason took over top billing in MFG credit, was actually one of several secondary MFG'ers.
 
Fatstrat said:
Interesting side note. Camillus was the actual designer and 1st MFG of the USMC knife. Ka-Bar, whose name for some reason took over top billing in MFG credit, was actually one of several secondary MFG'ers.
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Probably because Ka Bar sounds cooler than Camillus. At least in gung ho jarhead talk.
 
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