Benefits of liners on a knife handle.

[ijohnson]

Looking for some advice from the knife handle experts please.

Thinking about buying a knife blank and doing the handle myself. I'd be doing a wooden handle, (probably walnut or bog oak if I can get some) and just wondering if liners have any benefits apart from a purely aesthetic one? Any drawbacks also, and what material is best for liners if I decide to go down that route?

Thank in advance.

 

[crosslandkelly]

I'm no expert, but apart from aesthetics, liners can take up any imperfections in the side of the scales to be joined to the knife.

 

[ijohnson]

I'm no expert, but apart from aesthetics, liners can take up any imperfections in the side of the scales to be joined to the knife.

So does the liner material need to be softer with some 'give' to do this?
Seems the liners I have factory fitted on some of my knives don't seem that soft?

Also, if I was using epoxy or similar to help with the bond would that not do the same?

 

[Pattree]

I’m not an expert either but, particularly if you are using a steel that isn’t stainless it’s possible to get a reaction between some woods and the metal.

As far as I know, the main reason is aesthetic.

I once rescued a roping knife from the surf while on holiday. It was only a cheap one but I wanted to keep it as it was. As it dried out it very quickly corroded in showers of rust and blue copper oxides from the rivets. Maybe that is an exaggerated example of a possibility.

I am sure that you’ll get an answer from someone who makes knives before long

 

[hughtrimble]

I'm not a maker, but I thought it was a way to add thickness to a handle without requiring the raw handle material to be as thick, as well as to add visual appeal.

I have had a knife with very thin liners but they seemed to almost squeeze out from the handle and blade stock interface. That wasn't great, I'm assuming they were softer liners that weren't finished properly or something.

 

[HillBill]

Some liner materials, vulcanised fibre for example provide some shock absorption if battoning, or chopping. Better for your hands, and helps protect the glue bond. Aesthetics plays a part, and as said above, some woods react with carbon steels. The tannin in Oak can corrode steel for example. A proper glue layer should prevent that, but a liner certainly will.

 

[GeoffWood]

Looking for some advice from the knife handle experts please.

Thinking about buying a knife blank and doing the handle myself. I'd be doing a wooden handle, (probably walnut or bog oak if I can get some) and just wondering if liners have any benefits apart from a purely aesthetic one? Any drawbacks also, and what material is best for liners if I decide to go down that route?

Thank in advance.

If you make progress and need any bog oak, give me a shout.
I have some nice pieces

 

[John Fenna]

I have made the odd (very odd in some cases) knife and I do not use liners - I dislike the look. I have used various steels, both stainless and carbon, and lots of different woods both exotics and native as well as leather bone and antler and have yet to see any increased (or any) rusting. A decent glue layer keeps wood and metal apart and avoids any reaction and proper care and maintenance does the rest. Just my point of view - others may disagree (but IMHO they are wrong)
If liners were essential then hidden tang and rat-tail tangs would not be found in knife making...

 

[pieinthesky]

If you do not have a perfect fit between the scales and the knife blank a good way to join them is with a layer of epoxy soaked cloth. Type of cloth is not critical but choose the colour wisely. You can make it a feature or practically invisible and it will form a sealing layer between steel and scales.

Beforehand, tape up the blade as close to the handle as you can (or smear with release wax, vaseline etc) and don't forget to trim off the excess at the front edge of the handle with a craft knife before the resin gets fully hard.