How To remove handle off finished knife (hidden tang)

H

HSC ///

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Nov 7, 2012
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customer wants to change handle on a kitchen knife
hidden tang, 2 part epoxy used
the blade is forged laminated high carbon

any proven methods to remove the handle and save it?
I realize I can break/grind/saw off the old handle

just want to see if anyone has any other experience

Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith I've tried to remove my signature link, but I no longer have that access with my current no pay membership

thanks
Harbeer
 
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HSC /// said:
customer wants to change handle on a kitchen knife
hidden tang, 2 part epoxy used
the blade is forged laminated high carbon

any proven methods to remove the handle and save it?
I realize I can break/grind/saw off the old handle

just want to see if anyone has any other experience

thanks
Harbeer
Click to expand...

You could try clamping the blade in a vice, then slowly heat the handle with a heat gun to soften the epoxy and see if you can pull it off.
 
Wood will heat to slow .Most epoxy hold around 140-150 Celsius . I done that on this knife but in opposite way .Handle in vice and I heat with gun /this is powerful one/ blade...That is knife from file tempered on 250 C so it is safe to do that .........
Maybe ALL in oven on 150-160 Celsius in your case ?
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Maybe a good reason to get an induction forge?
 
Just make him another knife; and sell this one to somebody else. :D
(Probably not the course you wanted to take; but sometimes it's good to consider options)
 
2 options.

Freeze the entire blade thoroughly , then clamp the handle and hit the choil with a hammer, protect the choil of course, and sometimes the epoxy will break the bond .

Otherwise as mentioned heat the handle with a heat gun and hope for the best.
 
I've had luck wrapping a handle in plastic and placing it in boiling water. Still a bear to slide off but it eventually slid off. No chance of ruining temper this way.
 
hhmoore said:
Just make him another knife; and sell this one to somebody else. :D
(Probably not the course you wanted to take; but sometimes it's good to consider options)
Click to expand...

it's pretty much a one of a kind blade and the one he wants...I rarely make 2 similar knives.

I do have a heat gun, thanks for the other great tips
I'll see what I can do,
 
I had to do that once. Like Scott, I soaked the handle in boiling water then put in the freezer for a while. Actually, I may have that backwards (freezer then boiling water), I don't recall. It came off with light taps on the heel/choil area.
 
I drill out the pin if one is there, heat the handle slowly with a torch or heat gun tom break down the epoxy, and pull it off the tang with pulling and twisting. In some cases when the handle is scrap anyway, after heating the handle I just smash it off with a hammer.

Looks like you got the link removed - Thanks.
 
out of curiosity, how long did you have to boil it?
 
weo said:
out of curiosity, how long did you have to boil it?
Click to expand...
after the water was at a boii, I inserted the handle (inside plastic zip lock bag) for perhaps 20 seconds or so... not long at all.
I figured I could put it back in if I needed to, but I didn't
 
HSC /// said:
after the water was at a boii, I inserted the handle (inside plastic zip lock bag) for perhaps 20 seconds or so... not long at all.
I figured I could put it back in if I needed to, but I didn't
Click to expand...
Now , that is really weird .Wood is not good heat exchanger at all .......To soften epoxy in 20 seconds ? What kind of wood is in question ? No steel in contact with boiling water ?
 
Natlek said:
Now , that is really weird .Wood is not good heat exchanger at all .......To soften epoxy in 20 seconds ? What kind of wood is in question ? No steel in contact with boiling water ?
Click to expand...
mostly purpleheart, and then marblewood
no steel in contact with boiling water.

most of my kitchen knives are a bit of friction fit with the tang, the epoxy acts as a filler.
some kitchen knife customers like to put different handles on or remove the handle to polish the blade...it's part of the experience for them

It's entirely possible that in this case the boiling water had no impact on my ability to remove the handle off.
as I said, it only took me 2-3 taps with the hammer on the front of the handle for it to come off.
 
It is always great when it comes off with boiling water, then you realize it only took 212 degrees to soften up your epoxy :rolleyes:
 
Glad it worked out. I had to do this once to a wa handle that didn't set properly.



HSC /// said:
I used the boiling water trick, it worked great,
a couple taps on the front of the handle and it came right off very nicely

after some cleanup I can put that same handle on another knife.

thanks for the assistance
Click to expand...
 
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