What should I do about this gaping puukko?

[screened porch]

Nothing?
Glue in some spacer material?
Try to pound it back together?
Try to pull off the handle, clean hole and tang, and reassemble with epoxy?

 

[sitflyer]

Interesting...maybe find a spool of thread in a color that would compliment the handle material, could wet it with long set epoxy and wind it tightly into the gap to fill it, and then some, and when the epoxy cures, sand it flush...maybe might could do the same method, wrap the thread tightly to over fill without the epoxy, and then wick some thin CA into the thread to set it up, then sand flush. This just came to mind and might be an approach I would take. How it the knife otherwise?

 

[Jsega51]

What is the handle material? Solid piece with an accent and bolster at the front or is it stacked birch? I don’t think trying to pound the handle back down is a good idea because you could actually end up loosening up a lot more material and it might not get you enough tang to peen over to hold it in place.

I guess it depends on what the handle construction is.

 

[Chui]

- if it's the result of wood shrinkage, would be inclined to fill it with something like black silicone.

If handle/tang are apparently well made and stable, perhaps messin' with it will be counterproductive..?

Black silicone can be wiped with soapy water to give a crisp precise finish - it'll look like a spacer - and if you're out n about in the wet and the wood expands, it'll do no harm

 

[screened porch]

maybe find a spool of thread in a color that would compliment the handle material, could wet it with long set epoxy and wind it tightly into the gap to fill it,

This is one of my ideas also, replaced by the spacer material idea because that seems a little quicker and tidier.

I guess it depends on what the handle construction is.

Good point. I wasn't very clear. It's a one piece wood or glue-lam handle with no tang protruding. I'm thinking the metal has to be a bolster rather than a ferrule because the wood is cut off straight, full diameter of the metal.

QUOTE="Chui-888, post: 18647932, member: 321724"]If handle/tang are apparently well made and stable, perhaps messin' with it will be counterproductive..?[/QUOTE]
My fear.
Though if banging on it loosens whatever glue they used, it should be easier to take apart and redo.

There are more pictures in Levine's under "Puukko: maker? date? fur?", if anyone's interested.

 

[screened porch]

- if it's the result of wood shrinkage, would be inclined to fill it with something like black silicone.

And the fix would be flexible, and therefore at worst harmless.

I'm wondering if the tang is backing out from rust expansion, and backing instead of splitting because the laminated handle is too strong to split.
Sealing the gap might prevent any further rust-backing, I would think.

Of course if the tang is plated like the blade, there shouldn't be any rust.

 

[John A. Larsen]

You could try soaking the handle in a jar of linseed oil and see if the wood shrinkage would be reversed. John

 

[brownshoe]

If the handle is loose and is peened on from the butt, tighten it up by peening it down. A web search should bring up instructions, since hobbiests have been assembling them at home for years.

 

[johnny reb]

I would soak the handle in a jar of mineral oil for a day or two, then decide what to do.

 

[sitflyer]

This is one of my ideas also, replaced by the spacer material idea because that seems a little quicker and tidier.

[\QUOTE]



Whatever course you choose, wax paper and blue painters tape are your best friends when dealing with "any" adhesives and knives...good luck on this one, it looks like a pretty cool knife from the pics in the Levine thread

 

[screened porch]

I ended up taping it and trowelling in marine epoxy, which is pretty slow to set; so I finally stopped trowelling it and slopped on a surplus which I covered with more tape. I'll take a picture of the remaining gap before I repeat the process on a small scale.

 

[screened porch]

 

[screened porch]

Well, I've made it my own, anyway. Not everyone has an Estonian market puukko with random white epoxy highlights.

 

[eisman]

I probably would have used a gap filling CA glue, but I think your fix will work.

(Please be aware that Googling "gaping puukko" is not safe for work.)

 

[Jsega51]

^ LOL.

Just lightly sand that down flush, buff, and blend it in and it’ll just look like a normal white spacer I’m sure.

 

[screened porch]

I probably would have used a gap filling CA glue, but I think your fix will work.

(Please be aware that Googling "gaping puukko" is not safe for work.)

I guess I'll use Startpage when nobody's looking if I got's to know.