Recommendation? Thong Tubes Necessary W/ Lanyard Hole?

[Dominick Maone]

Thoughts? Making a bunch of knives with lanyard holes. Most are small EDC, but a couple are bigger hunters. I see some well know knives with and some without tubes. What do you do?

 

[Hengelo_77]

Might as well do it right and use a tube

 

[Hengelo_77]

Btw they don't need to be metal, I like black CF tubes but with a drillpress you can also make them out of micarta/G10 round stock

 

[Horsewright]

Always seems unfinished to me if ya don’t. I do them on almost all knives including larger hunters and camp knives. Only ones I don't do a lanyard hole and tube on are some leather knives and kitchen knives. A Sonoran Hunter:

A Sonoran Camp Knife:

 

[Tom Lewis]

I use the lanyard tubes on full tang knives. Among other uses, The lanyard hole is a handy way to hang the blade up, and when fitting the knife to a sheath, if the knife gets stuck, a nail through the lanyard hole will pull the knife out.

 

[Dominick Maone]

Sorry guys. I should have been more clear. When making a lanyard hole, is a thong tube necessary?

 

[eric brinkerhoff]

IMHO, the only time a hole without a tube is ok is when the scales are removable.

 

[Scaniaman]

On some natural material scales I would probably use a tube for durability in the lanyard hole. On g10 and micarta scales, tubes are mostly an aesthetic thing.
I have stopped using carbon fiber, after having a tube delaminate after glued in place.

 

[Horsewright]

I use the lanyard tubes on full tang knives. Among other uses, The lanyard hole is a handy way to hang the blade up, and when fitting the knife to a sheath, if the knife gets stuck, a nail through the lanyard hole will pull the knife out.

I use a dental pick but same deal. Handy.

 

[Hengelo_77]

I put vaseling on the inside of the tube during epoxy to prefent glue sticking to the inside

 

[i4Marc]

If drilling a hole straight through the handle for a lanyard, a thong tube is nice. As others have mentioned, you can use all kinds of materials for thong tubes. Stainless, copper or phenolic tubes are easy enough to find. And don't throw away your old busted carbon fiber arrow shafts. Cut them up and use them as thong tubes.

But that is not the only way to add a lanyard hole. When I want a lanyard hole and don't want to see it,
I do it like this:

 

[TLR]

I generally do. I've done a few knives with micarta or G10 that I didn't and I thought those specific knives looked fine. That was usually when I used a pin material/color I couldn't find the same material/color tubing. I always do with a natural material handle.