Patience is a virtue Grasshopper!
Hey honestly it is good for a first effort, and right along the lines of many first efforts! You are ahead of a lot of us on the first handle as most will do a first handle as a blocky squared off thing. You shaped yours and that is part of what makes the looks as well as functionality of a knife handle. I will tell you something about handles that may help. Often when working a handle to shape I use pins/bolts
(which ever works better per the use) of the right size, but not the ones that will make up the final handle, as they will be sacrificial. Now you can't get them to hot or they will burn the wood as well. Sometimes if I am using sacrificial pins I don't let them stick through to the outside and then I can shape without having to worry about them burning the wood. Get the handle about 95% shaped and depending on what you are using bolster or guards or just plain wood. The area that comes to meet up with the ricasso will need to be as finish sanded as possible. Mainly because it is hare to fit a handle to finished knife and then have to do sanding at the ricasso area without screwing up the knife.
I will give you an example of one I am working on.
Take a look at the knife in the bottom of the photo. If you will notice the object below it. It is the bolsters and the pommel as well as the handle slabs they are mounted on a piece of mild steel that was clamped too the knife blank to match for size, shape and too get the holes just right.
It doesn't have the blade portion on it but other than that it is identical to the knife itself. It is
all slightly oversized at this point but, close enough to allow for fitting of everything. The handle will be fitted as close as possible on the sacrificial knife handle and after fitting and refitting everything will be transferred to the real knife blank where it will be refitted and sanded as closely as possible.
When I get it as close as possible and the blank completely ready after heat treat, etc. and clean up the handle will be as close as I can come to fit up until final assembly. If I have done it right when the handle is assembled permanently to the knife, it should not require but a minimum of work to make it a perfect fit to the finished blade. It a process that can be very tedious at times but the final result is usually worth it. Now I am not sure everyone does it like this but that is how I do a lot of them.
Another tip on the bolts or pins besides getting it as close to the final fit as possible is this. Once you install the finish pin or bolt then file them off as close to the right length as possible with out gouging up the wood. The file will take it down without causing the heat that burns the wood. Then when you sand it off for final finish go slow. Use a fresh belt, don't hog and sometimes depending on the material you can cool with water. At all costs avoid staying on it long enough to create the heat that will burn it. If you have to stop completely and let the material cool!
Good luck and keep up the good work! I like the liners and the finish now hang in there and make on that you like. Sometimes we are own hardest critic's but that it what makes for the best product! You will learn something from everyone you do and when you get to where you can't learn anymore..........................well then it's tine for the boneyard!
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