Substitute Spacer Material

trentu

trentu

Joined
Mar 2, 2006
Messages
1,120
I am out of red and black spacer material. Anyone have any good substitutes? Thought of stabilizing some construction paper with fiberglass resin.
 
I have never tried it, but someone suggested to me one time plastic jugs or bottles cut out for spacers. He said they used them on guns as spacers between the butt plates. white from bleach bottles. Red,black,yellow,green,blue etc, from oil bottles
 
Plastic will work but is a little soft. It'll concave when buffing if your not careful. I've used a lot of leather for spacer material. Once the handle is assembled for the last time, I use a Q-tip and saturate the leather w/ wood hardner, let that dry for an hour, then finish.
 
physh said:
Buy more, it's cheap
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But where's the adventure in that?
I like to make as many parts of my knives as I can that includes the spacer material if I use it.
Craft paper or parchment soaked in resin, or urethane, or super glue makes outstanding spacer material.
Goat leather is very thin, takes die well, stabilized in resin or super glue makes good spacers.
 
bikermikearchery said:
But where's the adventure in that?
I like to make as many parts of my knives as I can that includes the spacer material if I use it.
Craft paper or parchment soaked in resin, or urethane, or super glue makes outstanding spacer material.
Goat leather is very thin, takes die well, stabilized in resin or super glue makes good spacers.
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I think you should make some goat leather spacers and use them.

Al P
 
trentu said:
I am out of red and black spacer material. Anyone have any good substitutes? Thought of stabilizing some construction paper with fiberglass resin.
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I tried making my own similiar to your idea and it didnt turn out to good.

I'd just buy some or try the plastic jug method. :D
 
trentu said:
I am out of red and black spacer material. Anyone have any good substitutes? Thought of stabilizing some construction paper with fiberglass resin.
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There's a varitable world of alternate materials out there to make spacers from.
I've been known to use corian (scraps or samples from Home Despot/Lowes where the poor sales person dreams of a comission from those counter tops I'm not going to build), plastic plates that come in a s$#t load of colors, or even sections of PVC pipe that I heat pressed/sanded flat.

I don't think that Oil bottles will do the trick because of their resistance to adhesives. If glue won't stick to it, it won't stick to the knife.

Good luck and let us know how you you did!

Jim L.
 
I used some copper pipe peices cut and pounded flat, thin slices of cocobolo and cow bone. The leg bone I cut 1/8" thick rings from the bone and filled the center with epoxy. Made a neat disk. Glued it all up and now waiting to shape. Will post pics when I get a chance.
 
Jim L. said:
There's a varitable world of alternate materials out there to make spacers from.
I've been known to use corian (scraps or samples from Home Despot/Lowes where the poor sales person dreams of a comission from those counter tops I'm not going to build), plastic plates that come in a s$#t load of colors, or even sections of PVC pipe that I heat pressed/sanded flat.

I don't think that Oil bottles will do the trick because of their resistance to adhesives. If glue won't stick to it, it won't stick to the knife.

Good luck and let us know how you you did!

Jim L.
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I've also been known to use thin aluminum and/or brass (1/32" to 1/16"), plastic sheet, thin leather, manilla folder paper and the like. It's amazing what you could use. Just look around and don't let the wife catch you cutting up her tupperware.

Jim L.
 
I read a while back about someone using guitar pick-guard material for spacers. It comes in a bunch of different color combinations.I thought it was a cool idea.
 
trentu said:
I am out of red and black spacer material. Anyone have any good substitutes? Thought of stabilizing some construction paper with fiberglass resin.
Click to expand...
Trentu: For those not familiar with a lot of the products out there, about the simpliest one i know of that has multi applications is epoxy mixed with any oil paint..any color or colours can be mixed,including artists oil paint in tubes..this can be soaked into cloths/paper/sawdust, etc..can be used to color match a broken handle, etc.
if not too much oil is added it hardens well and takes a nice polish...As for plastic spacers from colored plastic bottles, i've used them..and most hold their color indefinitely unlike old hunting knives i've repaired whos spacers have lost color...hope this helps some..
 
Airborne Steel said:
I read a while back about someone using guitar pick-guard material for spacers. It comes in a bunch of different color combinations.I thought it was a cool idea.
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Airborne...Some of the old pickguards,like some of the old picks were highly inflammable nitrocellulose..Careful where you set your knife..a cigarette will set it ablaze..
 
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