Handle process WIP

[Moustacheknifeco]

I am posting this WIP to get some constructive criticism and hopefully help me sort out my handle process. I am a newer maker, so my work is nothing like the stuff you guys post, but if you what to get better you gotta stick your neck out a bit I suppose. I have a cheaper phone, photos leave a little to be desired. Hopefully we can work through it.



This is is my most popular knife design. This one has copper liners . Here I have rough cut the liners and drilled the holes. I have not shaped any of the liner, so I drilled the front pin hole and then inserted the bit to line up the second hole. This is on the drill press. In the past I have just glued the parts together and then drilled, but I thought I would try this since the liners need file work after they are shaped to the knife.



Next, I have a sheet of micarta in the mill and since I don't have a 3/16 collet, the 1/8 mill is in the chuck. I'm running at ~2000 rpm. The handle has a cross inlay that needs to be cut on the mill. I have scribed the handle profile on the micarta so I can roughly locate the center and mill.



I cut the scales out on the bandsaw and then sanded them flat, the copper liners were also sanded flat mostly to help with the glue up.



I pinned the the handles on without glue for shaping. I cut the pin and tube with the jewelers saw. Nothing too fancy here.



Fully profiled to 400 grit at this point. I started with a 40 grit AO belt and got close, then tried to be as close as possible without touching with a 120 grit j flex, then finished it with a 400 j flex. Hopefully more to come this week.

Thank you for your time.

 

[John Wilson]

Everyone is different. You are doing a great job, and you may be doing some extra work you can cut out.

Why the dry fit-up? It looks like you end up contouring the scales to the tang anyway- no need to do this dry. Just glue it all up and then shape it. If it's because you are afraid of hitting the tang with the course belt- don't be. I start handle shaping at 60 grit after it's all glued up. The handle looks like a hot mess when I begin shaping. Starting with a 60 grit belt, I grind right down to the tang for a flush edge. Then 120, 220, 400. The scratches will be gone at 120. The rest is smoothing and shaping. After 400 I hand sand, beginning with 320 to get the scratch pattern on the pins oriented the way I want.

Pics show two different knives, but the process is the same.

 

[Moustacheknifeco]

I didnt realize the pictures would be so terrible. I am taking better pictures for the next ones. Hopefully you can see enough so more people can provide input. Thank you for your reply John, this knife has to have the dry fit up so I can do the file work on the liners.

I usually:

1. Shape the fronts
2. Glue one side then drill holes
3. glue the second side and drill those holes
4. pin
5. shape

This way I am guaranteed to get everything lined up perfectly and it is easy. I have had terrible trouble with getting them line up in the past. Do most of you drill both sides shape the front of your scales and then glue? Does this change when you put bolsters on?

 

[Moustacheknifeco]

Okay, part two. I have removed the scales and shaped the fronts.
Sanded and polished.

I then unpinned the scales and cut the file work all the way around the copper liner. I colored the filework black to help darken it up under the glue. I learned to do the file work from a youtube video with Craig Brewer that the ABS Webmaster has on their page.

Once the scales are all glued up and pinned I peen the pin and flare the tube to help keep the scales on.
The micarta is fairly tough, so I try to be pretty aggressive in getting the pin to swell and peen over good. Once that is done I start in on shaping the handles.

 

[Justice4all]

I do it the same way you do. I shape the front of both halves together as there is almost no way I can see doing this when they are on the blade. One hit with any grit belt in the ricasso area and its a bad day. Plus, the liner material and grip materials I've used grind differently and trying to get things smoothed up on the fronts after the fact is nearly impossible.

The front of the scales play a more important role in the grip than many seem to think IMO. There are times when you are using your index finger and thumb to pinch that area for fine work and plain, squared off fronts won't feel as good or give as much area to grip. There are many designs I've seen that have simple, squared off shoulders on both custom and production blades. It seems like a time and cost cutting way of doing things. Or, the maker isn't putting as much thought into the way the handle feels while gripped in different ways.

If there is an easier way to do this, I hope someone chimes in.

 

[Moustacheknifeco]

This final knife. I had a hard time getting some of it cleaned up, but learned that I won't do filework on the ricasso area of the liners again. Just to difficult to get right.

 

[Justin Presson]

Lol, love the mustache on the spine..nice work!

 

[Ed of all trades]

I like it and what it "says" Ed