Stacked leather question

B

bjalongi

Joined
Oct 23, 2006
Messages
640
I'm making a hidden tang knife with an elk handle. I did a search, but couldn't answer my specific questions.

I'd like to stack a few pieces of leather between the horn and guard so I can shape it to create a nice transition into the curves of the guard. I'm only going to use two or three pieces of leather and probably thin brass between each leather washer.

My question(s) is:

Do I need to soak and press them if they are not going to be together?

Or, can I simply use the silver brazed nut on the pommel to compress the stack when I assemble it?

I don't have any accure glass, only 60 minute epoxy and thin CA. I'm worried that the epoxy won't soak all the way through the leather and leave a dry spot. Should I just assemble it without soaking the washers with epoxy, then soak it with thin CA after its assembled? I've saturated leather with thin CA in the past and it got rock hard, but I didn't try to fine sand, or polish it afterward because the application didn't call for it.

Can I work the leather like wood after the CA has hardened? I've always wondered if CA soaked materials would have a dusty white surface after sanding.

Thanks in advance for addressing my numerous concerns.

Brook
 
Brook you can polish CA to any degree you want all the way to glass, I don't
do many leather handles but last spring I did one compressed it with the pommel
nut, soaked it with CA and had no trouble with the sanding or polishing.

Ken.
 
You could use the epoxy between the layers, compress with the tang nut. Then grind and sand...finish with linseed oil and a paste wax. In my opinion if your using leather for a handle there is no point in soaking it in something to make it "rock hard"...part of the reason for using leather washers for a handle is the grip.
Another little tip...if you use something between them like brass and your going to buff it...do it very lightly.
Good luck.:thumbup:
Mace
 
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