The purpose of liner on fixed blade?

JayGoliath

JayGoliath

Joined
Mar 27, 2010
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You could there's a red liner in between the scale and blade tang.
What does it do to the blade and user?

Esthetics? shock absorber or rust inhibition for wood handle?
 
I believe it's mostly for esthetics. They also can be added if some feels the scales of the knife aren't quite thick enough.
 
I've been told by several knife makers that liners serve no real purpose other than appearance. I do prefer the look of them.
 
I suppose they can help prevent any gaps if the scale material isn't perfectly smooth or is prone to shrinkage - sort of like a gasket? But then I don't make knives, so what the hell do I know?:D
 
Just for the look. If I'm not mistaken, Bob Loveless used them a lot and they became popular as a result.
 
I believe it is primarily for aesthetics, like others have said, although they are also used to add some width to some handles, as there are times where you want a fat, wide handle, but the scale material only comes at a certain thickness that is thinner than you would like. I know that for certain Becker and ESEE knives there are a lot of folks that use a liner to make the handle a little beefier.
 
Yep, I'm one of those people. I got my Becker BK2 first, and thought that it felt great in my hand. Then I got a BK9, and thought that the handle felt a bit ... "off". It was because the scales were the same, but the tang was 3/16 instead of 1/4. Adding liners made the BK9's handle feel like that of the BK2.

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For the rest, I think that it is about looks, and it could also very reasonably be to remove any variance between the scale and the tang.
 
It's pretty well known that Eric Fehrman (of Fehrman Knives) uses liners that absorb/soften the blow upon impact.
 
The other thing I can think of is adding a glimmer of color in case your blade gets dropped/lost-might help with recovery, but at the same time doesn't make your blade overly flamboyant. As far as aesthetics go, a drop of 'custom' to a factory blade can give it a more personal feel or touch of nostalgia to the user, as oncLogan's beautiful BK7 example shows (in addition to thickening the grip of course).

I originally had this guy made in green and red to match pre existing kit, but the red does come in handy-it takes an otherwise paramilitary appearance and softens it. I don't get any funny looks packing a boy's axe that is green and red, using a 6 inch knife that is green and red, and EDCing a green and red pocket knife when out doing winter sports. When you have guys cruising around on snowmobiles to locations that take you two days to get to on snowshoes or skis, they aren't taken aback by a hairy dude plodding on top of powder with a bunch of sharp stuff strapped to his back.

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Hatchula II No. 1
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Pretty sure any phenolic liner would be shock absorbing compared to stabilized wood and most engineered composites, though I don't know how squishy you could get if they're secured with some kind of fastener and epoxy.
 
IUKE12 said:
I've been told by several knife makers that liners serve no real purpose other than appearance. I do prefer the look of them.
Click to expand...

Foilist said:
I suppose they can help prevent any gaps if the scale material isn't perfectly smooth or is prone to shrinkage - sort of like a gasket? But then I don't make knives, so what the hell do I know?:D
Click to expand...
these. Some makers don't like the fiber spacer material because it is water absorbent and adds the risk of corrosion under the scales.
 
I almost always prefer NO liner.
I really don't like the looks of them much.
There might be an exception here and there.
If I had the choice, I'd opt for none.
 
Fehrman knives uses "cushioned" liners that absorb energy upon impact. Self-explanatory
Look it up...
 
HuntBomb said:
Fehrman knives uses "cushioned" liners that absorb energy upon impact. Self-explanatory
Look it up...
Click to expand...

If it's self-explanatory, why would I have to look it up? :rolleyes:

I don't see how liners could cushion anything since the knives have a full tang and the direction of force is parallel to the liners. Doesn't make any sense to me. :confused:
 
I have had a couple of makers tell me they add vulcanized liners because they can be sure to get a good glue-seal between the liner and the carbon steel they are using for the blade to prevent trapping water under the scales.
 
Self-explanatory to most.
Others should do some research before making an ass out of themselves.
 
Either Fehrman doesn't tighten the bolts holding the scales on, or the liners are compressed and don't absorb impact any more than the micarta does.
 
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