Rehandling Mora help

[spoonman]

Hi,

I want to rehandle a mora and I have read up on the previous threads but there is one thing I dont understand.

It is probably a silly question but how exactly do the mosaic pins or simple nail as someone used hold the handle together? Or how do the loveless bolts work? Also can someone tell me where I could source a couple of pins or bolts?

I want to use willow for the handle. Do you think that it is hard enough? I know it is not a typical choice but I guess Im experimenting.

Cheers

 

[Mirius]

Don't Mora's have a spike tang? In which case you won't be using any sort of bolt because the handle will be in one piece. Drill a hole in the end of the handle, glue the tang into it.

But since I've never re-handled a knife, I'll let someone who knows what they are talking about answer your questions!

 

[michiel]

Pins and bolts are mostly decoration. It is epoxy glue which will hold the knife together.

Bolts will hold the handle slabs together for a bit, but it's the epoxy that makes it strong.

 

[spamel]

I take it you are using a full trang, or are you gonna take apart another mora and use the stick tang method instead? Am I talking gobbledegook to you? An explanation then!

A stick tang is as the name suggests, a stick like piece of metal runs back from the blade and the handle is built around this stick. They are strong and all of the metal ends up hidden. This is good for cold conditions where you don't want the metal of a full tang in contact with your skin. A full tang is a piece of metal with the blade at one end and the shape of the handle on the other and you put a piece of wood on either side to form the handle.

The scales of wood can be held in place on a full tang by epoxy glue and pins, or the use of corby bolts which is basically two nuts on a threaded bar that runs through the tang. You tighten up the nuts, firmly bolting the scales in place and they are usually glued as well. Then you shape the handle an you are left with a flat piece of wood, or contoured if you go all fancy, and the nuts are also ground down to be level with the surface.

Head on over to British Blades for more information, techniques and help. If I was you, I'd look at one of the Lapplander fulltang blades to start with as they are simpe and cheap yet very cost effective and good results can be had from them.

 

[Draven]

What kind of mora is it? Different moras have different types of tang, which specify how the rehandling should be done

On a full or hidden tang (not stick tang) knife, the pins will help stop the handle scales shifting - normally, they are also glued with epoxy to stop the pins slipping out or the scales slipping off, but the pins help add a bit of strength. Mosaic pins also look nice

Sometimes the pins are piened. This is essentially when you take a hammer and "mushroom" the end so that it's like a rivet - if this is done properly, it should hold the scales on perfectly fine without glue, but you could have a problem with water getting under them and rotting them or rusting the blade, if they're not fitted perfectly. This method also has the advantage that if your scales come a little bit loose, you can pien the pins further and it should tighten them up.

All the cheaper moras, as far as I'm aware, are stick tang (the wooden barrel-handled one for example) or half tang (Mora Clipper). These are generally handled by drilling a hole into the wood and filling with epoxy or hide glue and then putting the blade in. If the tang is longer than the length of the handle, you can stack materials and/or rivet the end of the tang to keep the handle on, rather than using glue, or you can thread the tang and screw a nut on.

Hope that helps!

 

[spoonman]

Gees that was quick

Ok well as its my first time attempting a rehandling so to start with I am just going to take the plastic handle off a mora I already own. The mora I have is the same as in this thread and I'd like to do something similar.

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18364&highlight=rehandle+mora

So if I epoxy the space the tang will go into in the handle and the hole that I drill and put the pin through that should be enough to hold the whole thing together. Right?

 

[spamel]

You'll get a good knife out of it, but the tangs are really a bit too short in my opinion on that type of knife. Back in the day it would have been rejected by knowledgeable woodsmen as the tang is too short to make a good field repair if the handle came off. At least with a stick tang or a full tang you can wrap some cordage or leather or even some spare clothing round the metal and continue using the knife.

Of course, as they are moulded handles, they are plenty strong, and with the use of epoxy it may well be just as strong if you re handle it, but that would be a decision you would have to make. It may be an idea to ask Stonerave how his knife has stood up to hard use such as battoning and the like.

 

[John Fenna]

I have rehandled a couple of the good old Mora knives.
I use the "Henry Rabbet" method where you take 2 pieces of wood (I tend to use Oak from some Victorian furniture I was given/rescued from the skip - not usable as furniture but oh - such wood!) and rebate one piece to the exact shape of the tang, even notching the tang for extra grip. the whole lot is then epoxied together (the glue joint is stronger than the wood and should not fail!) and pinned, lanyard tubed if you like.
If you drill the tang you can also pin this as well.
Although I would not favour battoning this kind of knife (even with its plastic handle) it should stand fairly tough use. For heavy work I carry a Saami knife or SFA my moras being reserved for moderate or light tasks.
I have no idea how ell willow will work but I find seasoned willow splits along the grain fairly easily .....
John