Ebbtide
Gold Member
- Joined
- Aug 20, 1999
- Messages
- 7,957
My latest project 
Take one Stromeng Leuku blade
Add a pile of leather rectangles 1 x1 1/4" with tang holes cut in each.
Since the leather will react with the brass, add some spacer material between them.
A dribble of epoxy around the tang is plenty.
Use alot and it will squeeze out and leave a dark spot in the leather.
Stack up the leather and spacers, put in the clamp, squeeze firmly and let dry.
After it dryed over night I added the stag bit and brass plate.
Epoxied and while wet, I peened the tang over the brass.
Here it is all dryed and ready for shaping.
Roughed to shape with a 2" sanding drum on my hand drill and sanding drums on my dremel. I used mini rasps and files for the confined tight spaces too.
Then it was sanding time. Triangular pieces of sandpaper from 80 grit up to 2000. When I was done shaping the handle and started finish sanding I'd dampen the leather with a wet paper towel, sand and repeat.
The leather started looking real good at 600 grit.
And it got better & better as the grits went higher.
I used Sno-Seal on the leather. It is smooth but not slick. Sort of grabby under pressure.
There is still some more to clean up, some over zealous dremel marks and a epoxy dribble on the stag...little stuff.
I'm going to vinegar etch the blade and start a sheath.
If I can do this....SO CAN YOU!
I followed this tutorial (more or less
) and it helped alot.
http://www.brisa.fi/bark1.html
(I do think I spent more time filing the brass guard/bolster than I did shaping the handle)
Like the old commercial said:
Try it, you'll like it!
:thumbup:
Take one Stromeng Leuku blade
Add a pile of leather rectangles 1 x1 1/4" with tang holes cut in each.
Since the leather will react with the brass, add some spacer material between them.
A dribble of epoxy around the tang is plenty.
Use alot and it will squeeze out and leave a dark spot in the leather.
Stack up the leather and spacers, put in the clamp, squeeze firmly and let dry.
After it dryed over night I added the stag bit and brass plate.
Epoxied and while wet, I peened the tang over the brass.
Here it is all dryed and ready for shaping.
Roughed to shape with a 2" sanding drum on my hand drill and sanding drums on my dremel. I used mini rasps and files for the confined tight spaces too.
Then it was sanding time. Triangular pieces of sandpaper from 80 grit up to 2000. When I was done shaping the handle and started finish sanding I'd dampen the leather with a wet paper towel, sand and repeat.
The leather started looking real good at 600 grit.
And it got better & better as the grits went higher.
I used Sno-Seal on the leather. It is smooth but not slick. Sort of grabby under pressure.
There is still some more to clean up, some over zealous dremel marks and a epoxy dribble on the stag...little stuff.
I'm going to vinegar etch the blade and start a sheath.
If I can do this....SO CAN YOU!
I followed this tutorial (more or less
) and it helped alot.http://www.brisa.fi/bark1.html
(I do think I spent more time filing the brass guard/bolster than I did shaping the handle)
Like the old commercial said:
Try it, you'll like it!
:thumbup:
