knife handle

[phil 13]

hello to all

i am 19 and about to have an operation and am not going to be able to walk for a while. so i thought it would be a good time to make my first knife. i have a couple of questions about the handle such as what is micarta and what can i use for the spacers which would give a nice silver finish

cheers

phil

 

[Pignut]

hello to all

i am 19 and about to have an operation and am not going to be able to walk for a while. so i thought it would be a good time to make my first knife. i have a couple of questions about the handle such as what is micarta and what can i use for the spacers which would give a nice silver finish

cheers

phil

Micarta is a lyered material Linen/nylon held with resin (This may be wrong but someone will correct me)

As for a spacer that is silver, you could use thin stainless steel, or if you wanted to be posh Silver! (I have seen copper and brass spacers so any metal should work)

However with a steel blade your silver spacers may be "lost" in appearance (If it is full tang). dont forget you do not have to use any spacers if you dont want to!

By the way hope the op goes Well

 

[BorderReiver]

Hi Phil.

Your best bet would be to go over to BB

http://www.britishblades.com/forums/index.php

The people there know more about making knives than you will ever need to know,and they're a friendly bunch.

 

[phil 13]

cheers for the information now i know a bit more about micarta i think i will go with it in my design. my next question is where can you get it from?

phil

 

[phil 13]

thank for the info that you have given me it has been very helpful been over to bb and got some tips.

one last thing what sort of shop can you get the materials.

thanks for the help and i hope the op goes well, as well other wise i will never be able to play rugby again AAAARRRRRR!

cheers

phil

 

[C_Claycomb]

You can keep yourself pretty busy reading up on knife making via all the forums and related sites.
This thread is really good for looking at different types of knives and their handle materials.
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=10436

Then there is the the FAQ thread which has a bunch of links for knife making tutorials, information sites, forums, and materials indexes.
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=8793

Micarta is nice/nasty stuff to work with. The dust is definitely not good for you and tends to get everywhere unless you work it wet. Wear a dust mask. That you can work it wet, and that it looks pretty good with just a 240grit finish makes it easier to finish than many natural woods which require fine sanding, then oiling.

As for where you can get it, in this country you can try:
http://www.wardellscustomknives.com/
or
you could order it from the US from Texasknife.com, or Koval, or Jantz, or K&G Finishing.

Places like Cromwell tools sell the O-1 steel that is a good bet for starting off. Mick Wardell also sells O-1 but its more expensive, however, he has the set up to heat treat your blade for you, and his process is geared for the brand of steel he sells. Other places sell O-1 also. If you only want a blade there are makers here and on British blades that sell stuff fairly regularly, or you can try Brisa, or maybe still www.tregor.co.uk, or if you like the idea of a Fallkniven, I think Hennie do blades for those.

The kind of blade you get will determine the sort of handle you will need to work on. There are a lot more hidden tang blades for sale than there are flat tangs. You can use flat bits of 303 of 316 stainless steel as spacers on a hidden tang, but on a full tang you would need to do things differently.

You are probably best off getting a blade and fitting a handle. I wouldn't want to try blade filing without standing up, but handle fitting should be possible.

Your best bet is go go and spend a couple of days brousing around the linked tutorials, sites and so on.

Best of luck

 

[Burnt Ash]

thank for the info that you have given me it has been very helpful been over to bb and got some tips.

one last thing what sort of shop can you get the materials.

thanks for the help and i hope the op goes well, as well other wise i will never be able to play rugby again AAAARRRRRR!

cheers

phil

Think positive mate. The op will be a success and you will play rugger again!

If you want to get into knife making (or even if you're just interested in knives and want to be better informed about the subject) get hold of a copy of How to Make Knives, by Barney and Loveless (search www.abebooks.co.uk). The information in it is getting just a little dated now -but only a little. It's still a 'must have' title on one's bookshelf, IMO.

Good luck with the op and a speedy recovery.

Burnt Ash
(sometime tight-head prop forward)