Need advice on machete mod.

Shotgun

Shotgun

Joined
Feb 3, 2006
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I'm putting this thread here because this will be my bush knife and because of the experience with machete's the guys have here. If the mods think it's best to move then that's cool. :D

I have an Imacasa Colima 22 inch machete that I don't use and want to mod into a camp knife type thing. The questions I have are:
What is under the injection molded handle? Is it full tang and worth the bother of knocking the plastic handle off or should I just cut the handle off all together and throw it in the bin? What's the easiest way to get the plastic off if it is full tang?
The only power tool I have is a drill press so I'm hoping to drill a series of holes around the pattern I want to cut out and then clean it up with a file. Is this feasible with the hardened steel? I know machetes are softer so wasn't sure. Do I need special drill bits? Will I need multiple bits to cut out say a 14 inch OAL blade? Thanks for any input.

This is the machete I'm working with.
yhst-29358752693524_2167_279389
 
The tang underneath is plenty robust, but the shape isn't the most ideal for rehandling (doable but not easy) and the amount of labor involved in removing the handle makes it not worth it in my mind. As far as the rest of the mods...a drill press will be a handy tool (wish I had one for my projects!) but you'd have better luck with a Dremel and a cutoff wheel. You'll still have a TON of filing to do after using the drill-and-nip method.
 
a small belt grinder (square wheel grinder) or bench grinder will make roughing out the blade a lot easier after an initial shortening with a cut off with a Dremel (keeps cooler than using a chop saw... and I have used a small 4inch angle headed grinder to produce tanto pointed machetes)... when a small trail of sparks backs over the outside face of the grind you are down to a sharp edge... finish with a good new flat file to draw file the final edge....
 
go get yourself a 4 inch angle grinder , and a bunch of the ultra thin cut off wheels as well as a few grinding wheels .
they are kinda handy for jobs as this .
 
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