couple questions about drilling a handle

IVANKERLEY

IVANKERLEY

Joined
May 30, 2007
Messages
2,397
hey all, i'm finally getting a break at work and have begun my project to rehandle my old carbon steel tramontina bowie. Going along pretty well with what ive read here and at various websites, but i have an issue i just cant seem to figure out. im shaping the brass guard and prepping the blade
The Info:
The blade has a 4 7/8" long tang (originally hidden tang, it had a 2 piece plastic clam shell type riveted scales:thumbdn:)
The tang is 7/8" wide originally had 3 rivets

The Questions:
Whats the best way to drill the handle? Since the tang is so wide and flat?
Unfortunately i dont have a drill press.
Do i drill it and then open it up with files or small saw, any tricks?
Should i shorten the tang? (easier to drill the opening)
also aesthetically how many pin/rivets should i use, 1, 2, or 3

hope this makes sense
as always thanks
ivan
 
I am far from an expert in this area but my hunch is to avoid shortening the tang if possible as that is the strength of the knife. Since the original had a two-piece handle, can you use a two-piece handle to avoid the drilling problem? I would be inclined to use all 3 pin locations for maximum strength and tightest fit.
 
i want to avoid it if possible (shortening the tang) but there are plenty of short/half tang knives and with proper construction should be plenty strong under normal use.
i may end up trying a rabbet tang, 2 piece its a little more complicated i think but may be the way to go.
I asked about the pins because i didnt know what the general rule was on pins and handle size, from an aesthetic standpoint. I have 3 corby rivets and the proper step drill, etc. So im good as long as nobody tells me 4 or 8, or 100 :D
Thanks for the info
cheers
ivan
ps if this doesnt work out i could sculpt it outta playdoh:D
 
I am not as experienced as some of the real professional craftsmen who hang out here but I have an old Tramontina Carbon Steel Bowie that I rehandled a couple of years ago.

I cut and shaped the two slabs to size so that they were wider and slightly longer than the tang.
Then i traced the out line of the tang on both slabs.
Then i used the little burr shaped wood carving bit on my dremel to carefully hollow out the indent in the slabs.
Periodically i would fit the scalloped out panels over the tang to see if i had removed enough material.
I removed an equal amount on each side. That way the only slightly visible seam where the wood slabs join was visually centered on the mid point of the blade thickness.
Then i used sand paper to even out/flatten the scalloped out inner surface.
Then i Gorilla glued one slab to the tang and let it set over night.
The next night i drilled out the rivet holes, basically drilled through the tangs rivet holes THROUGH the attached panel.
Then i gorilla glued the other panel and let it set for a day.
Then drilled through the tang holes on the already drilled side through the un-drilled panel.
I slightly scalloped out the holes with the appropriate diameter drill bit so the rivets would sit flush in the handle. Then i attached the rivets.Later i put on three coats of Tung oil.
This was my first (or second) attempt at rehandling a knife. So its not super pretty or up to high professional standards but it looks ok and is tough and functional.
I've done a lot of chopping with that knife and the handle is still rock solid.
These old Tramontina bowies are actually excellent knives, too bad they don't make them anymore.
I got mine for 5$ in a pawn shop!
:)

I am thinking about modding it again though, maybe a slight regrind and a size reduction of the guard.
I re-used the original guard and it is larger than it needs to be.
 
I re-handled an Okapi machete recently and experienced a similar problem. My solution works well but you might reject it on aesthetic grounds. The tang was originally completely surrounded by a synthetic, one piece handle. Too re-handle it with scales like a normal full tang job would have resulted in a grip that was too small.

The solution I employed was to make up two scales to the dimension I wanted and attach them to the tang. This left a gap all round, the thickness of the blade. I collected a lot of sanding dust from the timber I used for the scales and made up a thick epoxy glue with the wood dust and filled the gap. When the epoxy had set I sanded the edge of the grip smooth. The grip is now the right dimension and wider than the tang. This is a strong, simple solution and the appearance doesn't bother me, especially on a working machete.
 
Another possibility is to use strips of wood, the same thickness as the tang, to fill be gaps between the handle slabs. Again, not what a custom maker would do, but it would be functional and expedient. If you do it carefully, it will just look like two fine seams where you would expect one and only noticeable if you are scrutinizing it.
 
i'll try to get some pics of my rehandled Tramontina Bowie this week.
Like i said its not perfect, i've rehandled 6 knives since i did that one so i'm a little better at it now.
lol!
Really duplicating the original slabs in wood, drilling them and attaching them with epoxy/glue and rivets is not that difficult.
You can get it done with just a dremel plus bits, a palm sander, a coping saw and elbow grease.
Just have fun with it and take your time.
 
wow thanks for the info guys, i'm taking baby steps. I actually was avoiding the rabbet tang (2 Pieces) cause it seemsed more involved, but i may give it a try i bought 2 blocks and a set of scales, bloodwood so i have some to experiment:)
Hopefully i'll get back on it in the coming weeks
cheers
ivan

Pictures of your handles would be much appreciated:D
 
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