Shortening a handle: Cutting Steel and Kraton

K

Knifeclerk

Joined
Jul 16, 2004
Messages
1,083
Hi All;
I know it's not really a knife, but I have some Tactical Wakizashi from CAS Hanwei, and I would like to try shortening the handle on one. It's full tang construction with Kraton slabs riveted onto a 5160 tang. Is this something I could just cut with a saber saw, and then sand down? What are the chances I would have the scales separate from the tang? I assume they are epoxied on, in addition to the rivets. I've never worked on Kraton before, so I'm not entirely sure how it would behave if I tried to sand or file it. I appreciate any insights you may have for me. Here is the piece in question for clarity's sake.
http://cashanwei.com/prod_Detail.aspx?id=SH2432&name=Tactical Wakizashi
 
I'm not sure why you'd want to shorten the handle, but to each their own. It may offset the balance, depending on how it was balanced to begin with.

I don't think you should have any issues with cutting or sanding it smooth. I don't know if the tang is heat treated, so it could be a difficult cut. Someone else my have a better idea. I just don't understand ruining the long handle... lol
 
If I had to do it,I would try using a hacksaw with the handle clamped in a vise,pinching the handle to the tang,and keeping the cut as close to the vise as possible.If the steel is hardened where you are cutting,you'll go through a few blades. I personally wouldn't use a sabre saw- seems that they are kind of jumpy and may bounce out of the cut and into somewhere you don't want damaged(see Murphy's law). Then you could sand to you're desired finish.
If the handle slabs are hollow this might just make it look terrible and lose strength near the cut...
Just my $0.02
Good luck
 
Thanks for the tips. I don't know if the slabs are hollow or not (the idea honestly didn't even occur to me!) I'll ask my rep about that. If they're hollow, I'll scrap the idea entirely. Sounds like a hacksaw is the way to go for now, but maybe a dremel tool once I hit the tang? As for why, I just really enjoy the dimensions of a standard wakizashi. I have a few of these, so I just want to see what I can do. If there are any more suggestions out there, I'm certainly open. I'll be on a business trip for the next two weeks, so I'll be lucky if I can start by the month's end.
 
Hi, I just bought one of these and was thinking of doing the same thing as you. Did you ever try to cut the handle down?
 
Ack, not going to lie, this sounds like a scary idea. If I were going to do this, I'd use my angle grinder and metal cutting discs. Also, I'd rehandle it. I think the kraton might be too rubbery to end up with an end product that looks good.
 
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