putting a new handle on a puma?

L

lonegunman

Joined
May 24, 1999
Messages
115
I bought a puma skinmaster with a kraton handle with the idea of putting a new handle on it but the cherrie wood slabs i had went south on me.
so now i'm looking for some new handle material and some advise on the best way to do the job.
I may end up having someone do the handle for me.
any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
thank you.
 
What kind of handle do you want to put on it now that you no longer have the cherry? I would recommend something stabilized if you still want to go with a natural material.

There are so many possibilities that it's kind of hard to steer you in a direction without knowing more about what you want to do with it.

I looked at the Skinmaster on Puma's web-site, and it looks like a pretty simple knife. Do you know how far the tang extends into the kraton handle? It's hard to make out much detail with the photo they have up.

If you need any help with the construction, or decide to have one of us do it, just let me know. I'd be glad to help you out.


Nick

[This message has been edited by NickWheeler (edited 06-02-2000).]
 
Nick
the tang is taperd and is full length i agree with you about using a stabilized wood or something more suitable then cherry as a handle i was just trying to go with what was on hand.
having only done slab type handles i was hoping to get some tips or ideas on what might work best.

Marcel thank you for your offer of cherry wood that was very kind of you.

[This message has been edited by lonegunman (edited 06-02-2000).]
 
I've got a Desert Ironwood block I'd give you if you wanted a wood you didn't have to stabilize.

As to how to put it on, I'd probably grind the tang down a bit to make it a stick tang. This way a little drilling, and a little file work is all you need.

E-mail me if you want the Ironwood.
redbeard@virginia.edu

L8r,
Bob
 
I've thought about doing it that way would i need ad a bolster?
and thank you for your offer of the ironwood.

gary
 
i'd recommend keeping it scale tang. i like the look of cocobolo, desert ironwood, and ebony, they're all very stable. you probably don't want ebony if your took the kraton scales off becuase it's black. use pins of the same material as the bolstes with it, and t-88 epoxy to keep the scales on it. i've never made a taper tang knife, but if you search the shop talk archives you can find alot of info that will help you out.

[This message has been edited by magnum .44 (edited 06-02-2000).]
 
I might be mistaken, but I don't think he can keep it a scale tang since the tang that exists now is smaller than the handle. If you do use scales - you would have to inlet the profile of the tapered tang as it is now in one or both scales, and then bond the two scales together.

I would grind the tapered tang into a stick tang, add a guard, and use a block of wood to form the handle shape I want.

{Foghorn voice on}
But then again, I could, I say I could be wrong
{Foghorn voice off}

Have a good weekend,
Bob
 
Without actually holding the knife in my hand, I think I have to agree that your best bet is to change it into a hidden tang knife.

As was posted above, since it's not a full-tang, it's not really suitable for a regular slab handle. You could start with two slabs and mill a trough in each one deep enough so that you could form the slabs around that narrow tang.

However, I still think the best results would come from changing it over (without being able to really look at it other than photos).

Nick
 
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