Making a handle for my knife

[Pran]

Hello,
I would like suggestions on making a handle for my knife.Would like to know what material would be durable and if I need to use an epoxy resin or just drive the handle on the tang.(Mark any suggestions..)
I'd like to know of a milder abrasive to put a sharp edge on the knife.Don't want to use my bench grinder as I may spoil the shape(Any hints, Mack The Knife?)

Pran

[Mack The Knife]

Pran,

I will sharpen it for you but will leave the handle to Mark.

I may be mistaken but I thought the tang was heated and pushed into the block of wood. Then removed, epoxy added and pushed back and left standing to set. Once set the blade is covered (if sharp) and the wooden block profiled into the desired shape with file/s and sanding paper.

Mack The Knife

[badshah0522]

Hi! try to find out sum stuff like ivory ,horn,owise sheesham wood will be the best,Checkered fitted with brass rings.

[Mark]

Pran,

Congratulations! Your first knife sure looks a lot better than mine did!

I would suggest using wood for the first couple of handles. It is easier to work and more forgiving than bone or antler.

Tastes vary, but what I would do is cut a wood block the width of the blade and about 3/4" thick and epoxy the tang into it. Then use a file or a sander if you have one available to shape the handle. A very nice touch that I'd suggest is a thin sheet of brass, silver, copper, or stainless steel as a bolster. Have it be the same dimension as the block, do not try to make it into a guard would be my suggestion (save that for the second knife) and the metal only needs to be the thickness of a dime -can someone translate that into indian money please- and then file it to profile with the rest of the handle.

File or grind a few notches into the tang for the epoxy to form a mechanical lock with. I also poke the drill around after I have drilled the tang hole, for the epoxy to lock into the surface there too.

Wrap the blade with tape, it is easier on your hands and also protects the blade from getting marked up or glue dripped on it. Especially if you use a file or power tools it keeps the odd little scar from appearing.

[Pran]

Thanks for the quick response Mark and Mack The Knife.

Mack The Knife,
What purpose would heating the tang serve?
Do let me know when you're free so I can get the blade sharpened and learn to do it myself.Do you want me to get it before i fix the handle?


Mark,
I have a block of teak wood that I'll use for the handle.I have a small sheet of stainless steel about 1.5mm thick.Can that do for the bolster?
I've no experience with epoxy resins.Do suggest something from the pidilite site.
http://www.pidilite.com/products/indust ... ering.html
Will 'fevitite' do?

[Pran]

Badshah,
Expensive materials to learn with
Pran

[Mack The Knife]

Mack The Knife,
What purpose would heating the tang serve?

Pran,

What would you do if you were a villager who did not even have a manual hand drill, leave alone electricity and an electric drill and had to bore a hole into the wood block?

However, I was being thick when I made that reply. You would be silly not to use an electric drill.

Best you fix the handle first as I don't want you cutting yourself. We can probably do the sharpening after this coming Wednesday. I will show you how and then you can sit on my balcony and do the rest.

Mack The Knife

[Pran]

Mack The Knife,
Got the point.What I was getting at was that heating the knife would spoil it's temper.
Do you have any idea about locally available epoxy adhesives?

Best you fix the handle first as I don't want you cutting yourself. We can probably do the sharpening after this coming Wednesday. I will show you how and then you can sit on my balcony and do the rest.

Will do.PM me anytime you're free.

Pran

[Mark]

Pran-

I fear a piece of stainless that thick will take quite a bit of effort to file down. Brass or copper that thick would work easily though.

Do you have some tin or scrap pewter available? You can melt that and pour it, that also makes a nice bolster (you first round off the handle, then wrap a few layers of paper around the handle, place in a vise then put the blade in pointing up and pour molten tin around it. When it cools off shape and polish.

Also, epoxy is nice but regular glues can work too. I do prefer epoxy, and most any clear 10-minute style will work just fine.

[Mack The Knife]

Mack The Knife,
Got the point.What I was getting at was that heating the knife would spoil it's temper.

It would but I mentioned heating the tang not the entire knife. Just guessing here, but you probably don't have to heat to a cherry red either to burn through the wooden block.

Mack The Knife

[Pran]

Mark,
Pouring molten tin/pewter sounds like a good idea.I'm not all that familiar with melting tin.Can this be done on a gas stove?

Mack The Knife,
[/quote]It would but I mentioned heating the tang not the entire knife. Just guessing here, but you probably don't have to heat to a cherry red either to burn through the wooden block.

[/quote]
You're right because the temper of the tang doesn't really matter.

Pran

[eljefe]

Pran, If you can, go down to jewellers st off commercial st or to some small time jeweller who welds using a candle and a fine blow pipe...great workmanship in this day and age.
You can try this method for the bolster welding on the blade.a bit safer than melt and pour and you'll have fun doing it too.
Best
Axx

[Mark]

Pran,

Tin melts easily on a gas stove, just do not melt it in a can LOL. It can also melt in a hot wood fire too, so you know.

This is also how they cast the forend cap on muzzle loading rifles, I found a link that has some pictures here:

http://www.midiowa.com/hootalrifleshop/nose_cap.htm

Also, if you cannot find tin or pewter you can use printers type (linotype). I did some like that and they came out pretty good too, though it will darken more than the tin will and also the lead is not supposed to be so good for you but that is not really such a problem here.

After it is poured, just remember to tape the blade before you start filing to prevent it from getting nicks.

Oh also, just remembered this and it is very important- the wood needs to be completely dry or the steam will cause bubbles in the casting. Putting it over a hot air source for a day or 2 works, as does putting it in a warm oven overnight. In college once I wired one in my desk lamp next to the bulb for a couple days. If you get bubbles then you have to break everything off with a chisel and make a new handle.

[penpusher]

Pran,

You can try 'Fevitite' manufactured by Pidilite.

penpusher

[Pran]

Mark,
Found out where I can pick up pewter.The pics are very useful.Especially the ones involving the making of the mould.Will start work on the handle tomorrow.

Jefe,
Turns out pewter is sold near commercial street Will look at how it's done when i'm there to buy pewter.

penpusher,
Fevitite seemed appropriate when I browsed the pidilite products page.

Thanks
Pran