Segmented handles on fixed blade knive

K

kawzak

Joined
Jan 9, 2025
Messages
18
Hello. Old guy here .New to this forum. Been making a few fixed blade knives. Not a professional, just a hobbyist. I would like to ask anyone their experience w/segemented handles. I generally have been making a few knives w/ Iron wood, Ebony, and some synthetics. I would like make one with segmented handles using an Iron wood, bone or antler center piece and end of Ebony or maybe another dark/hard wood for the end. ( since I have these woods in my stock) These will be epoxied onto either side of the handles along w/brass pins. Suggestions if mating up the pieces with or without G-10 color spacers has any effect on adhesion and long life of use. Also I have been using a common clear epoxy from hardware store. Better expoxy to use ? Thanks for your replies. Sorry for long winded.
 
G10 spacers won’t necessarily have any benefit to longevity, they’re more for design/decorative purposes. However, I would strongly recommend whatever you do, use a g10 liner under all the pieces/segments.

On a hard use knife solid handle scales will almost always be tougher than segmented, given the same materials.
 
Full tang or hidden tang?

For my heavier use hidden tang knives (probably what you rootin' shootin' tootin' types consider normal use) i run the tang the full length of the handle and peen the end. Locks it all together and reduces stress on the epoxy. The only handles i've had fail were epoxy starved joints with poor fits or too short tangs

Although more joints does add more opportunity for failure
 
I have only made full tang knives, so handle material on either side. I’m happy doing it this way so far. Things may change but the hidden tang is a lot extra work (IMO) although it looks nice. My old hands get to resembling boxing gloves instead of hands after I make about 3 knives. I can only get an injection no sooner than 3 months to thwart off pain and inflammation. What can I say. I’m old, I deal with best I can. Besides this is a hobby, not for income. Besides, I have Parkinson’s so fine motor skills are gone. I refuse to sit still though.
 
Sorry to hear about your troubles. For me I think I can say that hidden tang is not THAT much more work compared to a fulltang - in fact, I have come to prefer it since the fulltang glueup creates so much mess (the way I do it, anyway). With hidden tang, you just need to make the guard/bolster fit nice, and then you have more leeway with the rest (and you can retry if you are smart). If you can sacrifice time (which us hobbyists generally can do) then I feel you can get a great result for a hidden tang too - so do not discard it, is all that I am saying.
 
Thank you SharpBits SharpBits . I agree with Cliff Carter, though that is not to say that a segmented handle cannot stand up to hard use. By hard use I mean knife hard use. Not using the handle as a hammer or something.
 
If you consider where you put rivets through the scales that will help hold them together. and of course pay attention to glue prep
 
Thanks for all the advice. I’ll investigate the hidden tang build. Right now I put no less than (4) pins. (2) 3/16” solid and (2) 1/4” pins or rather one 1/4” mosaic pin I make myself and I always put a 1/4” brass tube at the rear for a lanyard. On a few I have put (6) solid 1/8” pins, that’s usually w/synthetic handles that have decorative patterns . I do like using the different mosaic pins I make out of a 1/4” outter tube w/various size tubes or rods arranged in a pattern and epoxy sucked up in them. Kind of a custom look -to me anyway. And I do pay close attention to prep for the epoxying of the handle pieces. Plus the knife and back sides of the handles gets the 40 to 60 grit disc grinder treatment for a good ( tooth) hold for the epoxy. I didn’t read that anywhere, I just figured a rougher surface is better. Plus I stick all the pins and tubes in my drill and run a file or 80 grit paper along the side to make it rough too. Thanks for all your information and help.
 
Oh, and I usually drill or bore a few extra holes in the steel so the epoxy can get a bridge there too. Just guessing it can’t hurt.
 
Cliff Carter Knives said:
G10 spacers won’t necessarily have any benefit to longevity, they’re more for design/decorative purposes. However, I would strongly recommend whatever you do, use a g10 liner under all the pieces/segments.

On a hard use knife solid handle scales will almost always be tougher than segmented, given the same materials.
Click to expand...

I agree about that it can look nice, but it will be weaker...... A extra level of assurance could include a thicker handle tang. I personally wouldn't segment the scales on a thin blade (I prefer thin blades, btw) any blade and handle flex could strain that glue joint, but on a thick tang knife the handle might not flex.
 
Good point Crag. My first couple knives were on 3/16” 1084,1095 high carbon. The handle area Never got thinned anny. After I hardened them I only normalized enough ( or so I figured) so they wouldn’t break and maybe hold an edge longer. Plus I’ve never made anything with more than a 7” blade. So that might explain why I haven’t had any issues yet. ( like maybe no flex at all ?). I did make my wife a little stainless knife, it was about .090” thick. But the blade was only 2-5/8” long. I also put synthetic scales and (6) small pins. So far so good.
 
I don't think anyone answered your question about epoxy. There are lots of opinions but one of the more popular brands is the West Systems G-Flex. I've tried a few and it's always been an excellent epoxy
 
Most epoxies form a rigid bond which is not the best for a knife. As temperatures change, the metal handle expands and contracts, which can break the epoxy bond. G-Flex is not a rigid epoxy - it has a very small amount of give, so it allows the metal to expand and contract without breaking the bond.
 
That is why the most popular knife epoxies aren't regular resins. They are "structural" epoxies. System-Three T-88 was a standard for years before they came out with a dedicated knife epoxy. G-Flex is the same.
K&G's two part 24-hour resin was really great, but the commercial resins mentioned are just as good, cheaper, and readily available.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top