the "gift it on" knife...

[mountainm]

OK I'm taking my first forays into knife making (not bladework) and it's because of the generosity of these forums and some crafty "gift it on"-ing I now have

A whittler Kev carbon steel blade blank
A Hhazeldean set of mahogany scales

And I also have a random bit of brass to use as a bolster.

I think I'd be hoping for too much to expect some liners, pins and lanyard tube to come up on gift in on so anyone have any ideas where I can find/scrounge these last few items from? Any household items that would do?

Cheers

Mike

 

[DaveBromley]

Pins and lanyard tube can be bought from B&Q they sell brass stock in round and tube matey, thats where i got mine lol

Dave

 

[mountainm]

Pins and lanyard tube can be bought from B&Q they sell brass stock in round and tube matey, thats where i got mine lol

Dave

I hope it fits the holes Kev drilled then.

 

[DaveBromley]

standard is 6mm for the pins and 8mm for the lanyard so i would imagine he drilled them to those sizes which are available at B&Q but i'm sure he'll let you know if your not sure

Dave

 

[HHazeldean]

Glad the scales are getting some use, they have been seasoning for about 20 years now so should he perfect.

Good luck and post some piccies when you're done.

 

[mountainm]

Right now I have a pair of liners on their way to add to the mix (thanks Culloch!)

but, now I've been measuring things up I can see there may be a small issue. Here's Kevs knife blank that he sent me:


OK - the handle seem a bit short and skinny for my preference and I'm worried that if I do a full tang the wood around the lanyard hole will be very skinny and prone to damage?

So I was thinking, maybe a hidden tang? I could recess the tang into the scales. What does everyone think? Could do with some advice here please as I'm a bit new at this.

Thanks

Mike

 

[Biker]

I read some sound advice here once before. Use plastacine to make a dummy handle around the blank. Mould it as you like until you get the desired effect you're happy with.

Can't see anything wrong with losing the tang into the scales. I doubt anyone will complain, it's YOUR knife after all.

 

[lannyman8]

TBH mate if its your first handle hold of and use another blade first, that way you will learn allot form doing just 1 handle...... when you have done the odd 1 or 2 handles you can try a hiden tang etc etc etc....

trust me you will learn LOADS from doing just 1 handle......

if you need any help just post up or pm me dude......

im just up the road if you get really stuck too...

regards.

chris....

 

[mountainm]

TBH mate if its your first handle hold of and use another blade first, that way you will learn allot form doing just 1 handle...... when you have done the odd 1 or 2 handles you can try a hiden tang etc etc etc....

trust me you will learn LOADS from doing just 1 handle......

if you need any help just post up or pm me dude......

im just up the road if you get really stuck too...

regards.

chris....

Thanks for the offer Chris. Given this was a freebie I thought it may make a good first try? Do you agree about the lanyard hole?

Aaron - the plasticine is a great idea - will definitely give that a go.

 

[Biker]

Ummm at the risk of ruining the perfectly good idea of using the wooden scales you have. Have you ever heard of Milliput? It's a resin based putty that sets rock hard when mixed with the catalyst 50/50. Mouldable for about 30mins and damned good stuff. 1001 uses. I bought some in the UK in a craft shop and it came in a red and white box the size of a toothpaste box for about £6.

If you fancy using the plastacine as the prototype, the Milliput will do the exact same function but will set, and once set will last a lifetime. The only downside is that it's a sort of pale greenish colour, though I think you can buy variety's of Milliput for different uses that are different colours.

Just an option for you to consider.

 

[mountainm]

I did just have a paracord wrap on it - not sure about miliput, tempted for convenience - but I did want to do a "proper job"

 

[DaveBromley]

tbh mate the best way to find out is to give it a try, if the worst happens and you dont like it you can always heat the knife in warm water and the epoxy will disintegrate and you can have another crack

i think it will feel better in your hand once shaped and cant see there being a problem with the lanyard hole. you will be lining it with a metal tube anyway

Dave

 

[Biker]

I did just have a paracord wrap on it - not sure about miliput, tempted for convenience - but I did want to do a "proper job"

As I said it's just a thought. "Proper" jobs have more satisfaction along with them too. Be sure to show pics.

 

[mountainm]

As I said it's just a thought. "Proper" jobs have more satisfaction along with them too. Be sure to show pics.

Pictures - hmmm could be cataloging a "what not to do" - might experiment with some "pine" scales first.

 

[John Fenna]

Personally I wouldjust go for it with a hidden tang handle
Get 2 slabs of wood that are well oversize.
Rebate one to exactly fit the tang drill the pin and lanyard holes and glue the tang into it.
Glue the other bit of wood onto the handle and when it is dry drill the holes through.
Gradually shape the wood to the fit you want, testing it all the time - perhaps comparing it to a knife handle you realy like in looks and feel - and when you are happy, fit the pins and tube.
Have fun!

 

[mountainm]

Personally I wouldjust go for it with a hidden tang handle
Get 2 slabs of wood that are well oversize.
Rebate one to exactly fit the tang drill the pin and lanyard holes and glue the tang into it.
Glue the other bit of wood onto the handle and when it is dry drill the holes through.
Gradually shape the wood to the fit you want, testing it all the time - perhaps comparing it to a knife handle you realy like in looks and feel - and when you are happy, fit the pins and tube.
Have fun!

Well thanks to hhazeldean I have 2 very nice chunks of mahagony - well oversized for Kevs tang. Culloch is send me some liners now. I can see what's going to happen. I'll do this as a hidden tang - then I'll have the liners left over so I'll buy another blank, some scales and ... so it begins...

So you don't rebate half and half then to get the join dead center - I did think this may be a bit of a faff to get right...

 

[John Fenna]

Well thanks to hhazeldean I have 2 very nice chunks of mahagony - well oversized for Kevs tang. Culloch is send me some liners now. I can see what's going to happen. I'll do this as a hidden tang - then I'll have the liner left over so I'll buy another blank, some scales and ... so it begins...

Yup - welcome to the world of knife handling obsession...... the next one is always the best!

 

[Whittler Kev]

Right now I have a pair of liners on their way to add to the mix (thanks Culloch!)

but, now I've been measuring things up I can see there may be a small issue. Here's Kevs knife blank that he sent me:
View attachment 5978

OK - the handle seem a bit short and skinny for my preference and I'm worried that if I do a full tang the wood around the lanyard hole will be very skinny and prone to damage?

So I was thinking, maybe a hidden tang? I could recess the tang into the scales. What does everyone think? Could do with some advice here please as I'm a bit new at this.

Thanks

Mike

Here's a man with BIG hands then as the blank has a handle length to fit my hands as a full tang (am I right in remembering about 4 1/2 inches?)
The Lanyard hole is the same size as a brake pipe off a car (for a reason - I had some left over when I built the last trike) if I remember correctly and the pins may even be an imperial size but more than likely 3mm or 4mm (the size I had laying about in the shed). If you want to make them bigger for mosaics, etc, use a cobalt drill (about £2 of evilbay as they WILL drill files and brake discs as they claim)

 

[mountainm]

Here's a man with BIG hands then as the blank has a handle length to fit my hands as a full tang (am I right in remembering about 4 1/2 inches?)
The Lanyard hole is the same size as a brake pipe off a car (for a reason - I had some left over when I built the last trike) if I remember correctly and the pins may even be an imperial size but more than likely 3mm or 4mm (the size I had laying about in the shed). If you want to make them bigger for mosaics, etc, use a cobalt drill (about £2 of evilbay as they WILL drill files and brake discs as they claim)

I have big palms, short fingers. (really hope I'm not sounding ungrateful - in fact it's exactly the opposite, I want to do it justice by doing a proper job)

the tang is 3 3/4 inches long (see photo 9.5cm), 3/4 inch deep at it's deepest - it just falls a bit short in my hand. Pin holes look like 4/5mm

 

[Whittler Kev]

Must be one of the other sort I made. As you can see I normally make them longer now for us ... ummm.... larger handed people
If you do a hidden tang, the holes will fill up with the glue you use so shouldn't be a problem. Not sure about liners, still not subscribed to the use of them although several people say the wood can send the blank rusty where they come into contact ( a bit like steel rusting the most where it comes into contact with water and air)