stacked leather handle ?

K

Keith Willis

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Oct 24, 2007
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What is the proper method for doing a stacked leather handle?I have never done one and would like to know how the tang needs to be done,and if i need to glue the leather,and whatever else one needs to know to do a handle like this?

Thanks,for any help or advice,
Keith Willis
 
Just finished one of these tonight.
You do the tang like a hidden tang...you can do it round or squared off.
You can buy leather washers but the slots are one size and they are big. I cut my own washers out of the same leather I use for sheaths. Cut them a bit oversize. Cut the slot or hole to slide it over the tang...trying to keep it snug to the tang but not to tight(need to get the glue in there). Glue every piece as you stack them up. I use a two hour epoxy(don't use five min.;))
compress everything with a clamp or jig...drill and pin your end cap or add a nut to the end of the tang, or pien over end.
Use a new sharp belt to shape the handle. Once you have the rough shape you can run the grits and then use strips of sandpaper and do the shoe shine method. Finish with some linseed oil and some wax...buff by hand and your good to go.
Good luck and lets see a pic.
Mace
 
Thanks Randy,i missed that one.

Thanks for the info.Mace, i'm going to give it a try.Can it be profiled,just like any other material?
 
If you get it on tight enough it will profile just like any other material. You want the leather to compress. I have done a couple and I added a bunch of leather disks, then put on a washer and a small piece of pipe and used another washer and a nut on the threaded end of the tang to tighten it up, then removed the pipe added more washers and tightened it up again. The leather will compress quite a bit and the handle will be hard when done right. Enjoy Jim
 
Thanks for the advice,Jim.Does anyone have or know where i can find some good pictures of the process or just the finished handle?
 
Yea,hevy we been keeping an eye on it all day,just started to rain about an hour ago.It's not suppose to be as bad as katrina,just praying everything stays together and it will move on through.

Thanks Longstrider,i'll take a look at that
 
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