Spacer materials

W

Wyszrd

Joined
Feb 12, 2011
Messages
257
I'd like to try my hand at modding a knife and would like to start by fitting spacers to the handle. Do you all have a favorite material and supplier?
 
Alpha Knife Supply

They have some thin G10 that makes awesome liners!
 
Its always great to have personal testimonials about supply companies. I'm psyched to check out Alpha!! I've ordered from Jantz twice and had decent experiences both times.
 
Definitely go for the thin G10 or micarta for spacers/liners. "vulcanized fiber" liners WILL shrink, swell and generally make you pull your hair out.
 
Reading between the lines, I'm thinking Alpha may be the way to go...

Thanks for the help and advice!
 
Just an idea note for those who like the look of a contrast line ( spacer/liner) but like an all wood handle.

Take a block of dark wood,..... like blackwood, walnut, or mopane......, and sand the outer sides flat to 120 grit. Cut a slice off each side about 1/8" thick. This gives you two thin scales with a cut side and a sanded side.
Take a 1" thick block of handle wood that will contrast well with the dark color, like spalted maple or koa, and sand the outer sides to 120 grit. Laminate the two dark pieces on this block, sanded sides together, and let fully cure. Sand the sides flat and to the same thickness of dark line. Slice down the center of this block to get two bookmatched laminated scales about 1/2" thick. The scales have the liner already laminated on them and are sanded flat on the tang side. This eliminates the need to laminate the spacer/liner to the scales individually, and looks better than fiber paper spacers in many cases. You can sand and buff the ricasso ends of the scales before assembly with a flawless look,too.

Almost and wood can be used this way. Many blocks on the shelf are not used because they have a small bad spot or the pattern isn't that bold. Use them to laminate spacer scales up. You don't need a fancy pattern, just a good color from the side view. Make a rainy day project of making up a stack of these to have on the shelf when you start to pick handles out for a project. Time spent then will equal time saved later.



A similar technique can be used to make an all wood frame handle for a knife. Drilling out a well fitted hole for a five inch tang that is only 1/8" thick can be a real problem. Use the three piece mortise method for a really neat looking knife handle....and a perfect fit.
Slice a dark piece a tad thicker than the tang of a hidden/stick tang blade. Cut the tang profile out so you have a "U" shaped thin block. Laminate it between two contrasting scales for a handle block with a dark center stripe and a fitted tang hole. Place the tang in the recess when laminating the handle block, and remove it before the glue is fully set up. Run it in and out ,wiping off any glue on the tang, until it goes in and comes out clean. Let the block cure fully.
This looks really great with ebony/blackwood and curly koa for a Japanese kitchen blade. Put an 3/4" bolster and end cap of the same dark wood on this, and the knife may double in selling price.

It also works and looks well on wooden tsuka/saya for tanto knives, and on take down bowie handles with pommel nuts.

I have a tanto project in the works that I will try and do a WIP on the tsuka/saya in this method. You can make a simple $200-300 tanto into a $400-500 piece easily,..... and it really makes a high end blade say, "Pick me up off the table and take me home !".
My observations on knife handles is similar to my observations on women - It is usually the girl on the inside that makes you decide to marry her...but it is the girl on the outside that made you notice her in the crowd.
 
bladsmth said:
Just an idea note for those who like the look of a contrast line ( spacer/liner) but like an all wood handle.
Click to expand...

That's a very good point. Andy Roy (FiddleBack Forge) has made a name for himself partly because of his beautiful use of contrasting woods in his handles. Of course his blades are excellent too.
 
It is actually super easy to do and since it grinds as a single block of wood, the fit and finish is perfect. It is almost a beginner skill level process....with expert looking results.
 
glad I caught this post. Was about to put some vulcanized spacers on my knife. I was wondering how they would respond to water since its going to be a kitchen knife. So "vulcanized fiber" sucks eh.
 
Tracy at USAknifemaker.com has the thin g10 too. I've gotten a few pieces from him and been happy with the results. Make sure you note the thickness, he offers .03 and .06 in a lot of the colors.
 
bladsmth said:
A similar technique can be used to make an all wood frame handle for a knife.
Click to expand...

DSC03922.JPG


Still one of the prettiest handles I've ever done.

It's the nicest koa I've ever seen and maple burl
 
I too, would love to see that WIP Stacy; ever since I saw (I think it was yours) that octagonal handle with the ebony "bolster" at the front, I have wanted to do that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top