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Thumbs Down On Fiber Spacers

R

rlinger

Joined
Mar 29, 2002
Messages
4,591
I am permantly swearing off fiber spacers. I have learned my leason and thankfully I have only used them in eight, I think, of my 10 knives.

Even though they hold tight to the handle when locked in, the darn things don't bond, they don't resist moisture, they harbor moisture, and they swell in all directions upon obsorbing moisture.

I am sad I have three kitchen knives with fiber liners in use in three households. I know what they have done after being submerged in dish water because one of those knives belongs to my Lady and I have watched the liners grow faster than my own toe nails.

From now on it is no fiber liners or spacers for this feller. I will see about getting some hard maple and dye or stain to my own liking.

EDIT: Just to be sure I make my point about how I feel: The only reason I could want a decent knife and a sheet of fiber spacer material in the same room is to be able to cut it small enough to fit into the garbage pale.

Roger
 
Rhino,

Where you been Bud?? - Hey, I'm down right serious about the blanking things. I'm about a notion to forgo spacers and liners altogether. Well, I will get some maple sawed to thickness.

Roger
 
I don't use them anymore either (unless a special order I can't talk the person out of) For the same reason,only mine was a rain soaked hunting knife:eek:
Bruce
 
No one, for cash nor sex, shall talk me into it.

EDIT: In all honesty the sex part might be pushing it alittle - however I still hate'em. So I still have my principles, right?
 
I don't know about the sex part :D ;) :D as Donna wouldn't like me messing with another woman;)
But now if the kids need food or a bill needs to be paid,The customer will usually win on something like this.
Bruce
 
Thanks for the warning. I thought they were some kind of plastic. I would not have guessed that they take up water.

What do you sugest in there place.

ps sex what is that it sounds familiar but it is too long ago to remember. (No descriptions please may be kids watching and if I remember I may want to try)
 
Hmmmmmm very interesting. Now I know what to do with all that wood veneer, I have been saving. Should work really nicely, somewhere around a -16th inch.
Ken (wwjd)
 
I don't know and may be that there are different 'fiber' spacer materials sold out there that will work okay. I'm going with maple, or some wood type.

Roger
 
Originally posted by Nathan House
did not Legendary knife maker R.W.Loveless use them on his Knives?

:confused: :confused: :confused:
Click to expand...
Yes, and I've always wondered how they held up. Someone might try plastic detergent bottles for spacer material. They would be tough to glue though, and yes I'm serious.
 
Neil Blackwood seem to use spacer on all of its knives...
I wonder if he have the same problems with spacers ?
Or maybe this is another kind o spacer ?
Alain M-D
 
Alain
Neil uses a couple differnt spacers together to build thinner
handles up.I spoke with him on the phone,and he is one fine knife
maker,With a maker with that caliber of knives he makes I do not think he would build a knife that was going to come apart down the road.
I have a custom knife made buy Larry Page it has a black spacer
and I have had it for 9 years and I have skinned and cut up 40 plus whitetail with it.It has seen a little of everything,blood,water etc
and they are still the same as when I bought the knife from him
Just my thoughts;)
 
I know that the spacer material that was used years ago was also used for tennis rackets.But I had heard that they were no lomger making that type of material anymore.This could be why what we get now is different and doesn't hold up as well.You might try the different synthetics like Corian or delrin or maybe some colored micarta.The wood veneers if dyed and then stabilized would look pretty cool though.I used to use the two color Pakkawoods on edge for a spacered look in front or in the middle of my stag handles.That looked great and was a great way to use up the pakkawood I bought when I first started making knives:cool: ;) :D :D :D
Bruce
 
I've used fiber spacers in most of my knives and I don't seem to have any problems. I usually seal all the handles upon completion, I'm not sure if that's where some of the troubles lie. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has used kydex as a substitute. I really like black spacers on handles and thought that might fit the bill for a different material. No, I've never used it before and yes, it's time to reorder spacing material.:D
 
I can understand ringers frustration,but any knife thats going to be kept in prestine condition must be well cared for.Most natural handle materials fall into the same catogary as the fiber spacers.I have some fiber spacer material that i would not use on any knife its just asking for trouble other mateerial i have used presented no problems, I believe that there,s several different types of material out there Hoping someone out there can give us some tips on selecting material cause it sure dresses up some knives..
 
yes loveless did and still does use carbon fiber spacers on his knives. i only use them on about 10 percent on my knives. i have not had a problem. maybe some are differnt? are you using them under a wood handle? then the wood is soaking up the water first?
 
Laurance,

I think these I have are volcanized. I've not found anything that will bond to it either.

Roger
 
Roger
I got my from Koval,mine are also volcanized The red is .030 thick
and I have black that is .010.Mine feel like plastic.The one on the knife from Larry Page is 0.10 black,I have not had no trouble with it
What made you come to dislike it so much after only a couple knives?:confused:
The part on nothing bonding to it,what are you using(epoxy)
I wipe mine down with alcohol the spacer and the blade
and I use slow cure Lock Tite.
I glue the handle to the spacer and clamp it down and let it dry overnight,I then glue the handle and spacer to the knife.
works great.
Why don't you try a test,cut a piece and put it in water for a couple days,measure it before the test and after,that may give you some good input on what it may or may not do
;)
 
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