Re-Stacking a Leather Handle ??

Normark

Normark

Joined
Nov 7, 1999
Messages
6,651
Hey Guys...

I have one of my young Rovers (Scouts but Older) that has his grandfather's old boy scout knife.

The knife has a stacked leather handle, however it is in Miserable shape, and nearly all of it is gone...

Can someone give me some pointers on how to restack a leather handle, and get everything fitting on there nicely.. I'll probably have to use some different thicknesses of leather, and was also thinking of putting different colored fiber spacer in the as well..

This young man wants to recondition the knife as a tribute to his grandfather and has asked me to help..

How can you say No to a young and up coming knife Knutt ?
This just may be whats needed to bring this young man into the wonderful world of knives..

Any help would be Greatly appreciated..

BTW..
I've also started begging for leather scraps,,so we'll see what happens...

Thanks in Advance..

Eric
O/ST
 
Doing that with leather scraps will take you forever and a day. You have to cut them out then punch holes in all of them.

I am making both a M3 trench knife and a Kabar just cause I think it is neat. I have some leather washers that were given to me from a knifemaking friend that cost him 10 cents each 30 years ago. If you go out to Texas Knifemakers supply they are 25 cents each. I have used 38 of them on my M3 and am planning on buying 100 more just for the time and headache they have saved me.

What you do is disassemble the knife you have then make sure all the leather washers will fit on the stick tang. Trim them up if they dont. Soak them all really well in water. Then stack the handle and screw on the butt cap of the knife as tight as humanly possible. Then let it dry.

I had to do this 3 seperate times before I got the leather washers tight enough to where I liked it. I would stack tighten and dry it and then find some gaps. So I would dissassemble the knife fit a few more leather washers to the tang soak and stack again. I eventually found that stacking the washers placing the butt cap firmly but loosely on the blade then soaking it all for 30 minutes, then tightening up all the way worked well also.

If it is carbon steel be careful. The dyes in the leather washers will make the blade tarnish very fast. You might have to polish or buff them out.

Only after the washers are on the blade, they are very tightly bound together by the buttcap, and everything is completely dry, do you grind the handle to the shape you want it with a NEW 50-80 grit belt. This will ensure that you dont burn the leather handle.

Once you start shaping the you cant restack the handle as that nothing will line up again.
 
I have read you can heat the washers @200. Then soak in epoxy ,stack, tighten then let dry. ( i read it in blade mag a few years ago, you might want to check into it)
 
I have had good luck with leather by cutting the leather to 2 inch squares and stack with super glue between the layers. I put the stack in a clamp, the wooden cabinet makers clamps work best for me and squeeze the b'jeebers out of it. You can than drill out the block of leather like you would a piece of wood and epoxy the whole block on the tang using the butt cap to cinch it down. Form the handle with new sandpaper and finish with wax or oil. I have some very thick and stiff leather I can send you; e-mail me.http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h196/gldrewknives/leather-1.jpg
leather-1.jpg
 
Hey Guys...

Thanks very much for some good reading and your advise..
I appreciate it...

GL..

I would be Very interested in the leather scraps...
Thanks you very much...

Could you email me ??

ericn@mnsi.net

Thanks

Eric
O/ST
 
GL..

BTW>.

Sorry,, forgot to mention..
That is a Beautiful knife

I Especially like the long slender blade shape...
I hope this project turns out 1/4 as nice as the leather stack on your knife!!

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
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