Rehandling a Mora?

[Draven]

Howdy folks!
As I mentioned in my 'Which Knife?' thread, I've bought a Mora Clipper. Hasn't arrived yet, but the more I think about it, the less I want to keep it with a plastic handle... don't like the look or feel of them.
I've seen a couple threads about putting new handles on Moras, but I'm not really sure... would it be strong enough? I think I saw a pic of the tang, and it looked rather small. Is it recommended, or recommended against?
Please share opinions, pics and tutorials if y'all have any!
Thanks!

 

[Matt Weir]

Hi Draven,

I am also going to get a Mora Clipper and am put off by the plastic handle so I think I will have a bash at rehandling it. Take plenty of pics and notes

Matt.

 

[leon-1]

Guys the handle on the clipper isn't all that bad especially when compared to the handle on the 760, now that is a knife that requires rehandling.

When it arrives give it a bit of use with the handle that it's got, you may be surprised.

 

[Matt Weir]

Guys the handle on the clipper isn't all that bad especially when compared to the handle on the 760, now that is a knife that requires rehandling.

When it arrives give it a bit of use with the handle that it's got, you may be surprised.

I know that I will definitely give a good tryout with the original handle - I'm lazy and there's no way that i'll get around to changing it straight away

Matt.

 

[rapidboy]

I carry a clipper in work every day and it's a grand knife,

If you want to have a go here's what your working with.

 

[nickg]

I was given a clipper on my Fundamental bushcraft course and wasnt particularly impressed with it or the scabbard. Over a period of a week i fell in love with it.. I took a hand forged Kay vikstróm knife with a lovely curly birch handle that was admired by all the instructors but i refused to give it a tenth of the abuse that the mora got. This included battering it endlessly while splitting 3" willow, chestnut and alder; and I mean battering it. It was also used at the same time to carve a butter knife, a spoon, a bow drill set ,a fish hook and a trigger for a deadfall trap, not to mention skinning and gutting a rabbit and a trout and cutting endless pothangers, tent pegs etc.
Basically its a b***dy good knife, takes a great edge and holds it and there is nothing at all wrong with the handle. The handle is half tang and is moulded into the grip which is why it can take that heavy usage, changing it for a wood handle will make it look pretty but I dont think the tool will be as strong.
My advice would be to keep the knife untouched and make a decent sheath for it with a firesteel holder. If you really want a wood handle knife (and why not) dont ruin a d**n good knife, go onto the brisa website an order a blade and all you need from there and make yourself a really nice knife with a full tang that will be worth carrying. It need not be expensive.

http://www.brisa.fi/start3.html

My 2d's worth

Nick

 

[Draven]

nickg - wow! I'd heard it was good, but... dang!

rapidboy - thanks

matt-w - yeah, I'll definitely take pics and notes as I work

leon-1 - yeah, I'm gonna give it some use before I try rehandling. If I rehandle one at all it'll be a second copy just to make sure I don't get left without one

I presume that if I do try this the tang should be scored and epoxied into a recess in one side of the handle so it holds good? I think I read here somewhere...

 

[Shinken]

Why dont you buy a blade with a larger tang? rather than buying a knife and cut it up

 

[Draven]

Yeah, I am going to buy a blade with a stick tang (that is what they're called, right?) and add a curly birch or olive handle... probably before I get another Mora. The main reason I want to try it is that it's cheap and I've heard nothing but good things about the Mora, so I figured I'd give it a shot

Just a little bit of an OT question... how would one secure a wooden handle to a blade with a stick tang? My first thought was just to hammer it over, but aren't a lot of tangs hardened? Should I epoxy it?

 

[rapidboy]

These are worth a look

http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5634

http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5064

Also Dave Barker is running another stick tang group project over on BB, well worth getting involved in that if you want to make a knife.

http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19801

rb

 

[leon-b]

i've heard a lot of talk about using epoxy to secure the handle to the tang

leon

 

[Shinken]

You can both epoxy and peen the end!

 

[nickg]

Yeah, I am going to buy a blade with a stick tang (that is what they're called, right?) and add a curly birch or olive handle... probably before I get another Mora. The main reason I want to try it is that it's cheap and I've heard nothing but good things about the Mora, so I figured I'd give it a shot

Just a little bit of an OT question... how would one secure a wooden handle to a blade with a stick tang? My first thought was just to hammer it over, but aren't a lot of tangs hardened? Should I epoxy it?

It really depends on the length and shape of the tang. If its short and fat then you need to drill into the handle a reasonably close fit for the tang, score the sides of the tang and file some groves into the top and bottom edge of the tang just to give the metal something to grip the epoxy withand then set it all in place with some slow curing 2 part epoxy glue. If the tang is long enough to pass all through the handle then fit a fairly substantial metal cap drilled to a close fit for the end of the tang and peen it over with a ball ended hammer, glue the tang in anyway just to bed the tang into the handle. Either way you must have a well fitted metal cap at the blade end of the handle.

 

[Draven]

Howdy folks
Just got back from Skye (been on buses almost non-stop since 8:20 am )
Thanks for the advice folks! I've got two Moras now, so I'll probably give rehandling one a go, just for the hell of it. Twas actually kinda an accident that landed me with two, my dad decided not to come up so he couldn't bring me my first one, so I went to the local camping shop and there was a bucketful of Moras! Literally, they were stuck in a bucket.... so I picked one up!

I'll keep y'all posted!