Stacked Leather Handled Bilton

A

aliloff

Joined
Jul 10, 2006
Messages
301
I’m posting this after a few requests on how I did it. I’m not one of the most talented people who have re-handled a khukuri and I’ve seen some beautiful work done to them. As to why and how I re-handled my Bilton in stacked leather. First up is “why”; I wanted a khukuri that was comfortable to carry during my walks in the desert. There’s not much to chop out here so a full size khukuri would be wasted. I wanted a knife that was comfortable to carry, strong and reliable enough for cutting chores, and easy to conceal so I didn’t scare the sheeple. I also wanted something that was unique, I know I could carry a pukko or a K-Bar but how many people carry a khukuri? Present company excluded. The problem with the Bilton is that the handle was just too small for me to control. I didn’t really like the three finger grip that the current handle allowed, so I decided to re-handle it. The first thing I had to do was get the old one off. I taped the blade then I re-taped it and just to make sure that it didn’t cut me I taped it again. See a trend here use a lot of tape or you could get cut. Then I clamped the blade in a vise. I then began to heat the handle at the bolster junction with a heat gun. I would pull on the handle wearing a heavy glove (careful it’s hot) until it came off. Once I had the handle off I was time to clean the laha, this stuff is like concrete. I used my belt sander to clean it of the tang and a Dremel to clean out the bolster. Be careful not to overheat the blade I keep dunking it in a bucket of water when I was too hot to handle. Then I needed to extend the tang. I used a bolt that I split with my Dremel. Since I’m not a welder I had a buddy weld the bolt to the tang; which I cleaned up with the belt sander again. I then cut a whole bunch of leather squares, punched a hole in the middle and stuck them on a bolt with a fender washer on each end. I then soaked the leather in water and compressed them by tightening the bolt until I would go ant further. With I waited for them to dry (24 hours) I used marine epoxy putty to fill the cavity in the bolster. This stuff is like Pla-Dough until it cures, then it’s as hard as the laha that it’s replacing. After everything is cured and dry it’s time for assembly you may need to enlarge a few of the leather squares to fit over the tang area. I then used two ton epoxy between each square and to fill any gaps between the leather and the tang. I continue to stack and epoxy until I had the desired length for the handle I put a piece of brass over the end for a pommel and peened over the end of the tang. I had ground the threads off the bolt I used to extend the tang. The hole I drilled in the brass was tight so that I could beat it down and compress the leather while the epoxy cured. Once everything had cured again, I sanded the handle into the desired shaped with the belt sander. I would go real slowly to avoid taking off too much. Then I switched to a worn 120 grit belt for final sanding where I would dip the handle in water and sand. I would repeat this until the handle was nice and smooth. Once I had it nice and smooth I used my wife’s paraffin wax bath to soak the handle in, watching the color change until I had it to the darkness I wanted it. Then I polished it with an old t-shirt, kind of like shinning shoes. I’m sorry for the lack of pictures during the process but I didn’t have a camera during this time. The pictures below show the end result. I’d be happy for any comments from you guys especially from the more knowledgeable. This way I can better myself. Most of the things I did I researched through the forums, you’d be amazed at the wealth of information you can find in the place.

Bilton with scabbard



Close up of the handle (side view)



Close up (top view)



Close up of the pommel (went a little crazy with the hammer)



In hand picture



New and old comparison

 
Well, I think thats a fine job you've done. Pretty dang sweet IMO. Great job.
 
Great work. Thanks for putting up your process. I really like thickness changes in the handle. Looks like it will really fit well.
DanR
 
Looks like if you put your mind to it you will accomplish whatever you need to. Them Nessmuks are easy stuff.

One question. I didn't know that epoxy would adhere to leather. Explain how well that worked.
 
I used devcon two ton. It seems to be holding pretty good but i buttered both sides and along the tang. I can't seem to twist the washers when the blade is in a vise and it's really messy one of those rubber glove chores. I read about using it here in the forums while i was researching stacked leaher handles. It really is amazing the information you can find here. I'm sure gorilla glue would work too, you could probably use that while the leather is still wet and then compress it while it's on the tang.
 
Fine work, thank you aliloff
 
No, thank you Yangdu for providing such fine blades. The kamis did all the hard work i just gave it new clothes:)
 
Thanks for the response. Whatever you did looks AWESOME. I've never done a stacked leather handle. Its perty.
 
It wasn't hard, i plan on doing another for a pukko blade that i have maybe i'll use wood as a bolster and pommel, i have some citrus wood from my buddy's fire wood pile. we'll see what i come up with, so set your own limits.
 
Thanks Lizzardbones, I think the trick to the even color was wetting the leather as I sanded it. I also used a worn 320 grit belt on my sander.
 
I think that maybe somebody should send the Kamis a bunch of leather and some glue!

Not sure what it would do to the cost, but you gotta figure as long as you kept it from drying out a leather handle would never crack and it would probably absorb more shock than any other.:thumbup:
 
I am not a knife maker as such but I am a metal worker by trade , you have done a great job on the handle ,if you countersunk the brass a little before you peen the bolt then you would be able to grind it down a bit more to remove the hammer marks , just a thought .
 
Tinbasher said:
I am not a knife maker as such but I am a metal worker by trade , you have done a great job on the handle ,if you countersunk the brass a little before you peen the bolt then you would be able to grind it down a bit more to remove the hammer marks , just a thought .
Click to expand...

I'm not a knife maker either :) Thanks for the tip I always learn somthing new.
 
Great contours on pic 3. Do you have any sense of how well your compression scheme worked compared to a commercial leather handle? (Kabar, etc.?)
 
Damn! That is some fine work. Took a great little knife and made it even better. Andy has also mentioned the importance of keeping the leather wet while sanding, and it really seems to work well.

So when you took the leather out of the compression bolt and started sliding it on the tang piece by piece, you used epoxy between each square? Did any squish out and get on the outside surface of the leather, or does that matter?

I don't weld either; I think I would have fitted the split bolt as well as possible and then tried to stick it on with JB Weld and hoped for the best, but your way is obviously stronger.

Thanks very much for sharing.

Norm
 
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