Crack!!......now what?

I was finishing this knife up last night and noticed this....which was not there l 2 days ago when I worked on it.

The handle is spalted pecan that a guy wanted and purchased off ebay...I don't think it was the greatest stabilizing job but I have only worked with one other and that was from burl source and it seemed much better.

I guess my question is now what? I can't sell it to the guy like this do I just keep it and make him a new one.
I don't know seems here lately my luck has run out. Advice is much appreciated.

Justin

I'd watch it a few more days and see what happens. Then I'd do one of two things.

1. See if I thought I could fill and stabilize it with superglue and sawdust. That can make cracks and voids invisible if done right.

2. If I was worried that it might be a problem in the future, I might just go ahead and knock them off and re do the scales.

ALL natural materials can and often do move. Even the best professional stabilizing is not a magical elixir. It happens.

I'll amend my previous statement to say I've even seen micarta and g-10 warp and shrink/expand......though it's much less frequent and the movement is on a much more minute scale.

I hope the picture shows it ok it is on both sides of the tang only about a 1/8 on one side and maybe a 1/2" on the other and does not go to the pin holes.
Thank J.
Thank you for the tips. The thought of smashing that handle makes me cringe but would be a good test of my glue up I guess

You have to do what you feel is best for your ethics and client/maker relationship.

For the record, I have NO problems with using superglue/sawdust to fill cracks and voids. That's part of woodworking and part of our jobs. So filling a crack or gap is not unethical.

If I thought the crack was detrimental to the handle actually staying on or severely affecting the strength or integrity of the handle.........personally, I'd probably bite the bullet and replace it. If I thought it was just a cosmetic issue, I'd probably try to fill it before I smashed or cut the scales off.

That's just what I would do if I was in your case. Only you can decide what it needs in your case.

John has given good advice. That's the reason that I only use wood that has been stabilized by K&G. I've used stuff from other places and have some type of trouble with just about every piece. It may happen tomorrow but I've NEVER had a problem with material from K&G.

John and Darrin thanks. Is there any technique for super glue and saw dust. Smear some in and rub the dust in it?

I like to sand it dry first to produce some sawdust and push it in the crack dry. Better yet, if you have a scrap chunk of the wood, sand some with a 220 grit belt or finer (you want fine dust) and catch it with something. Pour that in the crack. Then put some super glue in it and put more dust on top of the wet superglue. Then sand it back to smooth. I do everything with 600 or 800 grit paper. You don't have to go all the way back to 120 grit or anything like that. This is a very small scale operation. You may have to repeat this process 2 or 3 times depending on the size and depth of the crack.

Again, John is right on. The only thing I'll add is that CA accelerator makes things a lot easier if you have some. Apply the dust, hit it with the accel., & then apply the CA.

I tend to avoid using customer supplied material for just this reason, even if it's not your fault you feel bad if something goes wrong with it.
from what I see, that's not a difficult fix, like others have said, super glue and saw dust and that should be un-noticeable unless you knew it was there and were looking for it. good luck...