- Joined
- Dec 13, 2005
- Messages
- 6,105
Howdy folks-
I posted this elsewhere and a couple of fellas reminded me that it might be interesting for BFWSS too.
I'm a big believer in making gear fit you, as an individual. We all have different needs, different, shapes & sizes, etc. Knife handles are a big issue in this area. Specifically for a woods knife, it can get irritating (in a very literal sense) using a handle that's too big or too small. It's a hot spot/blister just waiting to happen.
So I've had a little Mora #2 sitting in a drawer for a good while now. Problem with it was I tried to strip the red paint (too slippery) and in doing so I made the handle smaller. It was about the size of a #1 after all the work. Too small!
So that day I couldn't sleep and I had an idea on my brain. I grabbed some gear and the knife and went to work in my make-shift laboratory (read as 'back patio').
The notion I had was to first add some meat to the 'front half' of the handle, where the first two fingers rest. I need it bigger there. Second was to wrap the whole handle in jute twine. But since that would obviously shift and be quite fragile, I went a new route.
I cleaned the handle with acetone and covered the blade. Then I cut a 3"x3" cotton gauze into strips, and soaked them in devcon 2-ton epoxy. I wrapped these tightly and evenly at the first half of the handle to increase the circumference. I then immediately added another thin layer of epoxy all around the handle, and began to tightly wrap jute twine, starting at the top of the handle. I continued this to the base. I lastly applied a thin layer of epoxy across the outside of the jute twine, spread as thinly as I could (it was beginning to set-up too well!).
It dried in about 2-3 hours. I took a medium bastard file to it and took off a lot of the dried stragglers and roughness. I also used some wet/dry sandpaper after that to refine it a little bit. It's now grippy but smooth enough to not be uncomfortable. There is a bit too much epoxy on the exterior right now, so there's a chance I'll still put work on it.
So as is, I have a very well-sealed, weather-proof Mora with a handle that has proportions fitted to my hand, with very grippy handles (vs the slippery red paint). Plus it looks super cool.
I've wanted to try this out for a long while now, and I'm pretty with how it turned out. Unique and functional. After using this knife quite frequently for the last few days, I'm very happy with it. Fits me great and doesn't cause any hotspots in use. I'll be doing this again to other blades, almost certainly.
I hadn't thought about it until someone pointed it out, but this is rather 'Marchand' in style! Apologies for stealing your idea Rick, it was unintentional. As I told this other gent, I don't think anyone will be confusing the quality of my work for his!
I posted this elsewhere and a couple of fellas reminded me that it might be interesting for BFWSS too.
I'm a big believer in making gear fit you, as an individual. We all have different needs, different, shapes & sizes, etc. Knife handles are a big issue in this area. Specifically for a woods knife, it can get irritating (in a very literal sense) using a handle that's too big or too small. It's a hot spot/blister just waiting to happen.
So I've had a little Mora #2 sitting in a drawer for a good while now. Problem with it was I tried to strip the red paint (too slippery) and in doing so I made the handle smaller. It was about the size of a #1 after all the work. Too small!
So that day I couldn't sleep and I had an idea on my brain. I grabbed some gear and the knife and went to work in my make-shift laboratory (read as 'back patio').
The notion I had was to first add some meat to the 'front half' of the handle, where the first two fingers rest. I need it bigger there. Second was to wrap the whole handle in jute twine. But since that would obviously shift and be quite fragile, I went a new route.
I cleaned the handle with acetone and covered the blade. Then I cut a 3"x3" cotton gauze into strips, and soaked them in devcon 2-ton epoxy. I wrapped these tightly and evenly at the first half of the handle to increase the circumference. I then immediately added another thin layer of epoxy all around the handle, and began to tightly wrap jute twine, starting at the top of the handle. I continued this to the base. I lastly applied a thin layer of epoxy across the outside of the jute twine, spread as thinly as I could (it was beginning to set-up too well!).
It dried in about 2-3 hours. I took a medium bastard file to it and took off a lot of the dried stragglers and roughness. I also used some wet/dry sandpaper after that to refine it a little bit. It's now grippy but smooth enough to not be uncomfortable. There is a bit too much epoxy on the exterior right now, so there's a chance I'll still put work on it.
So as is, I have a very well-sealed, weather-proof Mora with a handle that has proportions fitted to my hand, with very grippy handles (vs the slippery red paint). Plus it looks super cool.
I've wanted to try this out for a long while now, and I'm pretty with how it turned out. Unique and functional. After using this knife quite frequently for the last few days, I'm very happy with it. Fits me great and doesn't cause any hotspots in use. I'll be doing this again to other blades, almost certainly.
I hadn't thought about it until someone pointed it out, but this is rather 'Marchand' in style! Apologies for stealing your idea Rick, it was unintentional. As I told this other gent, I don't think anyone will be confusing the quality of my work for his!
