Hi all , just wondering from a curiosity point of view if anyone has attempted to strip the kraton rubber handle from a Cold Steel Outdoorsman , Recon or Tanto style knife and replaced them with another type of handle scales ? Photos would be nice to see ?
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Re handling Cold Steel outdoorsman / Recon / Tanto
- Thread starter bigeard09
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oldmanwilly
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Idk about the outdoorsman, since it has that steel pommel, but there have been a few examples of rehandled Cold Steel bowies and recon tantos in the past. This may be helpful:
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How To - Re- handling my Trailmaster
Hello, thanks for checking my post out. This was a fun project and I am happy with the results. I know not everything I did was necessarily the "correct" way but this is how I did it. Any advice or constructive criticism is welcome. Most of the pics are just phone pics so I appologize for the...
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Very interested in this but rather for my SRK.
Yeh see what you mean about the steel pommel , I wil try to look into this a little furtherIdk about the outdoorsman, since it has that steel pommel, but there have been a few examples of rehandled Cold Steel bowies and recon tantos in the past. This may be helpful:
How To - Re- handling my Trailmaster
Hello, thanks for checking my post out. This was a fun project and I am happy with the results. I know not everything I did was necessarily the "correct" way but this is how I did it. Any advice or constructive criticism is welcome. Most of the pics are just phone pics so I appologize for the...
Swp321
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- 1,098
Posted some info on your profile since I couldn’t message you.
If the tang of the Outdoorsman is the same as the Outdoorsman Lite, it looks like the easiest method for creating a new handle would be to simply add handle scales secured by Chicago screws, no pommel would be necessary. The handle would be a little narrower, as the kraton handle clearly extends beyond the edges of the tang, but if a narrower handle is desirable then that wouldn't be an issue.
Such a task would require only minimal skill, and it wouldn't even require any power tools (although they would make it easier).
All it would take is to choose a handle material that is sold in flat/sheet form (G10, micarta, wood, etc), Trace the tang on the material, including the holes. Drill the holes first for proper alignment (a hand/crank drill could be used), then cut out the shape of the scales with a hacksaw or coping saw (or scroll/band saw), then do final shaping of the edges with a file. If you wanted the sides of the handle to be contoured rather than flat you could use a coarse file for that, then finish by sanding (producing a contoured handle does requires a higher degree of skill).
Then after final sanding of the edges attach the scales with Chicago screws (low profile threaded posts).
For knives like the SRK and Recon series, with more narrower "stick" type of tangs, you would either need to do a leather washer handle, or an "encapsulated tang" handle (two solid slabs of handle material milled-out on one side each for the tang, and then epoxied and/or secured through the bottom tang hole with a fastener). or a one-piece handle- a block of material with a hole drilled down through it and then the tang is hammered down into the hole, with either epoxy applied to the tang first, and or a fastener passing through the handle block and the hole in the tang.
The leather washer handle would be the easiest (though not easy). With the most complicated part being attaching a pommel. But there are several aftermarket pommels available, and some should be workable.
The "encapsulated tang" handle is more difficult and complicated because to do a good job of it you would need to mill out both handle slabs so that not only did they provide a close fit to the tang, but also mill them evenly flat so that the flat sides of the tang sits level in the slabs, and you have to get the depth of the milling just right, too shallow and the tang won't fit, too deep and the tang will have too much room (although epoxy could be used as a filler if there isn't too much space).
The block method is more simple than the encapsulated method, but it requires the ability to drill a long hole straight through the block, and you need the right equipment to do that right. Then it's really just a matter of shaping and securing.
Such a task would require only minimal skill, and it wouldn't even require any power tools (although they would make it easier).
All it would take is to choose a handle material that is sold in flat/sheet form (G10, micarta, wood, etc), Trace the tang on the material, including the holes. Drill the holes first for proper alignment (a hand/crank drill could be used), then cut out the shape of the scales with a hacksaw or coping saw (or scroll/band saw), then do final shaping of the edges with a file. If you wanted the sides of the handle to be contoured rather than flat you could use a coarse file for that, then finish by sanding (producing a contoured handle does requires a higher degree of skill).
Then after final sanding of the edges attach the scales with Chicago screws (low profile threaded posts).
For knives like the SRK and Recon series, with more narrower "stick" type of tangs, you would either need to do a leather washer handle, or an "encapsulated tang" handle (two solid slabs of handle material milled-out on one side each for the tang, and then epoxied and/or secured through the bottom tang hole with a fastener). or a one-piece handle- a block of material with a hole drilled down through it and then the tang is hammered down into the hole, with either epoxy applied to the tang first, and or a fastener passing through the handle block and the hole in the tang.
The leather washer handle would be the easiest (though not easy). With the most complicated part being attaching a pommel. But there are several aftermarket pommels available, and some should be workable.
The "encapsulated tang" handle is more difficult and complicated because to do a good job of it you would need to mill out both handle slabs so that not only did they provide a close fit to the tang, but also mill them evenly flat so that the flat sides of the tang sits level in the slabs, and you have to get the depth of the milling just right, too shallow and the tang won't fit, too deep and the tang will have too much room (although epoxy could be used as a filler if there isn't too much space).
The block method is more simple than the encapsulated method, but it requires the ability to drill a long hole straight through the block, and you need the right equipment to do that right. Then it's really just a matter of shaping and securing.
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Hi Killgar , yeh thanks for the information given . It is actually the Cold Steel Outdoorsman ( San Mai ) knife I am interested in not the Lite version and if I am right in saying I believe the difference is the more robust san mai version has both a steel pommel and a guard which would make fitting a handle a lot harder , probably using scales method depending how wide the tang was ? As you said , an encapsulated tang method . Going to have to look into this more closely .
Anyone any idea how wide the tang is on the cold steel Outdoorsman ( san mai ) ?
Thanks