Non-slip grips

T

Tom Holt

Joined
Dec 30, 1999
Messages
475
In his excellent field-test article, Anton mentioned that the horn grips of his WW2 slipped out of his hand at one point. I think other forumites have mentioned similar problems from time to time.

I know the feeling. Having a big knife slip out of your mitt in mid-swing can be unnerving - especially to the guy working ten yards away from you, in a direct line of flight...

For working khuks (ie where utility's more important than appearance) try this; smear the khuk handle lightly with glue (I use white PVA carpentry glue or epoxy) then wrap the handle with ordinary jute parcel string (jute is the brown, hairy variety; in the UK at least, it comes in 1/16", 1/8" or 1/4" thicknesses; I use 1/16" or 1/8" depending on the thickness of the original handle) Wrap it tight, straining it after every turn till it creaks, and make sure there aren't any gaps between turns. I use a drop of cyanoacrylate to seal the final turn to stop it unwrapping.

I've used this method on the cutting tools I use the most - my two 'hawks and my 25" Kobra, and I haven't had a tool slip out of my hand since. Likewise, it stops the blade turning round in your hand if you hit a tad off line, and it cuts down on blisters, too.

After a while, the string will get tatty and may begin to unravel. No problem; take the old string off and replace it with new. The job only takes 10 minutes or so.

For a really cool-looking variant on the above; wrap with 1/8" jute string as described; then wrap over that with brass picture wire, laying the wire in the 'valley' formed between each turn of string. It looks sensational and the wire is actually lower than the string, so it shouldn't abrade your hand...
 
Tom, I've done tool handlels (shovel, pickaxe) that way, only instead of glue I whipped them the same way you'd whip the end of a rope. That way you don't clobber up the handle with glue. I've tried several descriptions of this without success, you have to see a picture if you don't already know. So here is a picture: http://www.ask.com/main/metaanswer.asp?metaEngine=directhit&origin=7039&MetaURL=http%3A%2F%2Fask%2Edirecthit%2Ecom%2Ffcgi%2Dbin%2FRedirURL%2Efcg%3Furl%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Ft1250%2Eoao%2E com%2FPioneering%2Fwhipping%2Ehtm%26qry%3Dwhip%2Ba%2Brope%26rnk%3D2%26cz%3D2458168d8327376d%26src%3DDH%5FAsk%5FSRCH&qCategory=jeeves&metaTopic=Whipping+a+Rope&ItemOrdinal=1&logQID= 89F08F940E05D74DBEE0D06304682FA7&sv=37&back=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eask%2Ecom%2Fmain%2Faskjeeves%2Easp%3Forigin%3D7039%26ask%3Dwhip%2Ba%2Brope%26search%3Dwhip%2Ba%2Brope

Great snakes that is long. Well, Ask Jeeves for "whipping a rope" and you'll get a link.

Stephen

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Micah 6:8. Well worth the attempt!
 
How long does the string usually hold out?

I'd've never thought of it. Jute always looks so coarse I would have thought it would tear up your hands.
 
I do a variation of the "whipping a rope"
technique described. But only from below the ring on the handle and back. Using parachute cord. This has some extra benefits. It builds
up the smaller circumferenced handle area leading into the flared buttcap almost even
with the front half of the handle. So that the ring doesn't dig into the hand. The material is soft, it increases the grip, absorbs sweat and is 'squeezable'. The area from below the ring to the buttcap also forms natural boundaries to contain the wrapped cord so no reworking need be done to the handle itself. Lastly, the parachute cord is nylon, which means after you've wrapped it tight you can 'shrink' it even further by carefully applying steam to the cord. No glues are needed. When it wears, just cut it
off and do it again.
View

 
Do you think parachute cord might work and look better? It looks great on my swords that have it and they won't slip from my hand if I asked them to. It also seems to me that it would last longer than jute or any natural fiber string. Just a thought.
 
Ok bill, you posted as I was typing. But basically folks; yeah what he said. Ok I've been awake for 30hrs. and am getting less coherent all the time, I'm gonna go. G'night all.
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by DocPat2511:
How long does the string usually hold out?

I'd've never thought of it. Jute always looks so coarse I would have thought it would tear up your hands.</font>
Click to expand...

I've had the Kobra about 12 months, and just repaced the wrappings for the second time last night.

Jute looks coarse, but in fact it's pretty soft, so it doesn't gall the hands.

The main reason why I chose jute was because there was a big ball of the stuff in the kitchen drawer... It's worked fine for me so I haven't bothered trying anything else. It may be that other kinds of cord or string will work even better. I'm skeptical about anything made of nylon, tho'; I used to wrap sword hilts with Dacron B50, but I quit doing that because I found the stuf too slippery to keep hold of when my hands started to sweat.

 
I use hockey tape, a black tape with a textured finish, on an 18" Ang Khola that had a handle that did not fit my hand.


Will
 
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