Corn cob

D

dluxhvac

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Jan 1, 2013
Messages
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About to start working on a corn cob handle for a kitchen knife I'm making as a wedding gift. I tried to find info on how to put a finish on it but I couldn't find anything. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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Most of what I've seen is cut into scales and stabilized. I don't know of any other way to use it without stabilizing. It does look cool though. Get a couple sets together, leave them 10-20 percent oversized, and send them to K&G.
 
I made a set of BBQ knives with stabilized corn cob handles.

Grind with medium grit belts and go slow. Sand to 600-800 grit and polish with white polish. Any voids or loose grains can be taken care of with CA while grinding.
Otherwise, it is very simple to work.

Caution:
Don't grind too deep or you will go through the colored corn and grind into the black cob. In some places, this is unavoidable, but save as much as you can by pre-planning where the corn will show. The top is probably the most important area.
 
Stacy how are the BBQ knives holding up? I got middle scales from jantz so they are stabilized they just seem like they will break if you look at them wrong. I'm more worried about how they will hold up once the handle is finished and put to use. Do you think this is a bad choice for a kitchen knife that will get a lot of use?

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I purchased an edc from a very well known and respected knife maker on the forum. The knife was beautiful with a San Mai blade and a eye catching stabilized corn cob handle. Within 6 months the handle began crumbling at the corners and edges. I contacted the maker and he asked me to send the knife back to him. He graciously remove the old handle and since it was an everyday edc replaced it with a much more durable g-10 handle at no charge to me. I appreciated his honesty and integrity and have purchased several other of his knives because of this.
 
Thanks Dan that's what I was worried about. I'm guessing the same thing would happen in the kitchen if the handle hit a granite counter top I think it would break. It looks really nice but I would only use it on a show piece. 😕

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If the handle is properly stabilized then you shouldn't have any problems. You could always put g10 liners on it and use corby bolts instead of pins.
 
I used full stabilized cob blocks, not scales. I think scales would be a problem. I would back them with G-10 or thin Micarta at the minimum. I would flood with CA before finish sanding, too.
 
I have done two kitchen knife in corn cob slabs backed with g-10 the first held up very well until a will intentioned house guest put it in the dishwasher. The gaps formed around the kernels and they loosened, I was able to fill the voids with CA glue buff and move on. The second has been in light to medium use in a home kitchen for about 6 mounted so far with no problems (i did spend extra time on my don't put it in the dishwasher speech)
 
I planned on using 1/8 black g-10 bolsters and black g -10 liners with acorn screws if I figure out how to put up pictures I will tonight.

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here is are the scales and the knife I'm working on it just came back from heat treating.

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Those scales look like some material I have made some pens out of. It was cast in Alumalite to make the blanks. One of these pens ended up with a friend that we all joke is so rough on his gear he could warp an anvil, I spoke to Jim after he'd had the pen for a little over a year, and he was still loving it, and he actually ordered a couple of new ones from me :thumbup: I guess it depends on how they were actually made, but those look like they would be durable to me.

Good Luck!
 
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