Newbie wanting to replace a hilt...

[corwise]

A year or so ago I purchased a Benchmade Offsider, large fixed blade. I like the blade, but the hilt is cheap "Thermoplastic Scales," which I don't like at all.
Can anyone give me any ideas on how/if I could replace this? I have no special tools other then your standard stuff, although I would be willing to purchase a few. Would it be relatively easy to purchase a replacement hilt material (I was thinking canvas micarta) and shape/attach it to the blade? Or would this require special tools that I should just find someone local who knows what they're doing? Thanks much.

 

[Longstrider]

Hi Corwise. I don't have an Offsider to check this out, but looking at a picture on the web it looks as if it shouldn't be a difficult job to do at all. Simply unscrew the handle bolts (cannot see whether they are Allen bolts or Torx but make sure to use the right bits) and remove the existing bolts and handle slabs. These might be glued but a sharp tap should see them come loose. . As the knife is of full tang design you should be able to drill and apply the new (Micarta?) slabs and shape them to match the handle easily. Micarta is a very hard material so be prepared for lots of filing and sanding. Be sure to use a drill bit that gives a FLAT bottom to the hole where the bolts tighten onto so that they do not try to split your slabs. (I'm assuming that the bolts have flat bases to the heads and are not countersunk) If you do not have a step-drill for doing this you can get away with a brad point bit (Wood bit) as long as you remove any spurs from the outer edges of the cutting face of the drill bit first.
To make sure you drill the holes for the bolts in exactly the right place I find it helps to stick the slab to the tang temporarily with no more than 2 spots of superglue then drill through the holes in the tang. Remove the slab by tapping sharply along the length of the handle and repeat for the second slab. This way you know the holes will line up properly.
Re-fit the knife with the new slabs by using the existing bolts and a very thin layer of good quality epoxy resin and they should never move.
Hope this helps a little.

 

[corwise]

Longstrider,
Thanks for the info, much appreciated. I'll see what I can figure.