Trick for removing wood handle ?

Alain M-D

Alain M-D

Joined
Jan 20, 2002
Messages
237
Anyone have a good trick to remove a wood handle (I want to make
a new handle for one of my knife, I dont like the handle which I have make...)

The wood handle is fixed with epoxy and three pins. I already used a hammer to remove a handle but now I look for a better non-destructive trick... Boil it on water ? Soak it in acetone ? Oven ?

Alain M-D
 
Put it on a drill press and put a hole in it. Every time I have attempted to go through scales and tang I popped off the scales. If it doesn't work, you haven't done any damage to the blade/ metal. Frank
 
An oven at 225-250 degrees F, for about an hour should break the epoxy down. Maybe slightly longer.

The boiling water works too, but is more damaging to wood handles.

You could have put the knife in the oven with the pins left in, and saved everything when the bond broke loose. Oh well, next time.:eek:;)
 
Thanks for your advice guys !
Dirilling is difficult because the blade are stainless and
have 59-60 Rc at the blade, but at the tang too...

Oven seem to be a good option... I dont know what is the tempering
temp for the ATS-34 but I thing that 300 are not dangerous for
my heat treated blade (it's true ?).

Alain
 
The oven at 250 will break down the epoxy in 30 minutes or so.Just insert a knife blade (shop knife) under the scales and lift them up.If the rivets are peened you should file or drill them a bit first.The old epoxy will scrape right off the tang.Temper for ATS-34 is way above this temp, you will do no harm to the blade.
 
If you have a heat gun you can pop the scales off with it, too. I wouldn't use the big industrial heat gun, but I have a smaller (but man that thing gets hot) heat gun used in crafts for embossing paper. Works great for Concealex tune-ups, which is what I use it for, but you can heat one end or another of the handle and it will loosen the eopxy, then get under it with a razor or screwdriver and pry them up, work the heat under more, pry a little more, etc. Usually takes just a couple minutes if you're in a hurry, but if you have the time you might as well let the oven do the work!
 
If I'm not worried about the old scales , I just use the good 'ol hammer claw , carefully so I dont mar the blade. :)
 
give it to your wife and let her run it through the dishwasher
Click to expand...
Yes, judging by some of the 'glue wars' conducted here on the forums recently, a few cycles thru the dishwasher should bring even the toughest epoxy to it's knees.
 
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