What is the best spacer material for a stacked handle?

[tnmike]

I was gluing up a hidden tang antler and ironwood knife and decided that a couple of white spacers would set the piece off. I didnt have any store bought material so I tried using some plastic out of a large bottle. It is very similar to the plastic in an quart oil bottle. I roughed up a couple of test pieces and to make a long story short epoxy will not adhere to it.

What is the the best material for this application?? Any advice?? Thanks to everyone on the board.

 

[Jason Cutter]

I'm not sure exactly where the spacers would be sitting or how thick you wanted them. I have been using spacers cut from plastic disposable picnic plates from Kmart. About 1/32inch thick and also come in red, black, blue, yellow etc. They epoxy up well if you scratch the surface with sandpaper first. However, they degrade quickly when in contact with acetone, so watch out. Thick spacers could be white paper Micarta but you'd have to hand finish them really well to a very high grit (1500-2000) otherwise they go dirty when you buff them.

I have stopped using the vulcanised fibre spacers as I discovered that they are porous and absorb water. This causes them toexpand / contract and break the seal, even when epoxied in place. Good for presentation knives, but not on a working piece.

Hope this helps. Jason.

Jason Cutter
Knifemaker, Australia
Jason Cutter Bladeart
www.jcbknives.com

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

The "best" (no such thing) spacer material as far as adhesion and durability is phenolic sheet.You can purchase it from the knife suppliers very cheap.It comes in a couple of thicknesses and several colors.It grinds and polishes well.
Stacy

 

[whittet]

I needed to find a use for all those sample color keychains
at the moment I like Lutron samples (888) Lutron1 SC CK 1
They measure about 2 x 3 x 1/16 and are a
palette of 20 solid homogeneous colors

 

[anvilring]

You have no idea (and neither does anyone else...) what kind of deterioration/ shrinkage/ discoloration problems that might bring you or its new owner. The white vulcanized paper stuff knifemaking suppliers sell is ok but if you look at really old factory knives featuring such, you'll find it has shrunk. Now, thanks to my friend "Danbo", here's a good alternative I'm about to try myself. Use white linen or paper Micarta. Just slice it thin, sand, sand, sand...... I've found when using handle materials that are to be stacked, you'd better look for materials with like properties i.e.: the same softness, polishability, dye acceptance ect... otherwise you'll get washout every time.

mitch

 

[the possum]

Huh. I hadn't noticed that the vulcanized fiber spacers shrink that bad. I thought that's what Blackjack (of Effingham, IL) used, and mine haven't seemed to move. 'Course, that knife also has a leather washer handle, so maybe they all just shrunk the same amount or something.

I planned to use fiber spacers between the full tang and handle scales on my next big knife, hoping that the porus nature would give something better for the epoxy to hold onto, and create sort of a "buffer" between the tang and scales as a shock absorber. I was hoping that would help keep the handle scales from popping loose from impacts. I remember reading somewhere that this is why Bob Loveless origionally started using the fiber spacers in this manner- to help strengthen the bond between the steel and handle material.

Is there something that would work better in this application?

 

[Bruce Evans]

A Dillema for all makers

Synthetic and natural wont and never will shrink or expand at the same rate.That is why I quit using fiber spacer material a long time ago even though I got a cupboard full.You can use metal spacers but will have the same problem.Here is how I get around this problem.....

As we all know antler is never the same color,some is allot whiter than others,when you cut off pieces of stag to make the handle fit look at the colors inside under the pretty ruff stuff (not sure what to call it),dont throw those scraps away--never ever--You find a white piece of stag and slice and sand to make a white spacer,problem solved as it will shrink or expand with the other stag..now as for other colors..Ivory scraps white to creamy color (plus a little added cost or just a selling point on that knife-it has Ivory in the handle ---even though it is only a 1/16 inch thick piece--people like the idea)Bone works great and can be gotten in many different colors and sizes.I like cow horn spacers,you know the thin end of the horn--grind it flat and use it for a stacked handle or spacers and you get some really cool looking spacers and colors---Buffalo horn comes in blond and cream and Black----Different woods give different looks and colors---I have even put scrap pieces of pearl on edge for a different look(though this doesnt shrink and give the same problems) See the possiabilities are endless and you can use up scraps and add a little extra cost to a knife.

Now here is a spacer material I havent seen used,I may be wrong but I dont think I have ever seen it used,I have on hunting knives with great success.No LAUGHING until you think about what I am going to say here You know that stuff called Pakkawood or Dymondwood,it is a stack of colored layers of wood and comes in many thicknesses,cut and stack on edge there a quick easy multicolor spacer that wont absorbe moisture and is durable,plus you only have to glue one spacer to have many layers at one time,or the single colors work great also.I dont use this on higher end knives but for the lower end working knife this works great,and a good way to use up that piece we all buy when we first start as a maker thinking it will look cool on a knife :barf: and you can cut it at angles and have different looks in the spacer..Just a Idea I tried and it worked...

Now go look through the scrapbox and leave the synthetic materials to the factories ..

Just my 2 cents worth,
Bruce

 

[tnmike]

A lot of good comments...Bruce what you say makes a lot of sense to me. I dont think Ill try and use synthetics again.