Handle spacer materials

Col Defender

Col Defender

Joined
Nov 11, 2011
Messages
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I do wood handles with brass pins epoxied to 1084. As the next step I would like to try a knife with spacers between wood and metal. Is there anything I could play around with without ordering fancy stuff - you know, cut up kitty litter box, plastic dish pan, etc? Guess I am just a cheapskate.
 
I've always considered using a Stihl chainsaw oil jug for orange liner material and also like a blue antifreeze jug. They definitely wouldn't be as tough but you could get the colors. I use wood liners. Purple Heart under bocote
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Col Defender said:
Thanks! I like that thinking. Maybe for black, a motor oil can!
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Again, I don't know how well it will work. Since it is quite flimsy you'll have to be careful with your bond that it is flat. Please update once you've tried. I'd love to know how well it works
 
And since I've never used any liner, should I have two layers of epoxy, one between metal and plastic and another between plastic and wood?
 
Don't know how well polypropylene or polyethylene will take to epoxy. Also a little too much heat during finishing could be a problem. Buffing would most certainly wear it away quicker than surrounding materials.

Standard old fibre liner material is dirt cheap and will give you excellent results. Alternately rather than bottles you could try coloured paper card soaked in supper glue.
 
Or, stop being a cheapskate and buy $20 worth of 0.060" g10 from alpha knife supply and KNOW it will work and stay working for a long time.
 
Brian.Evans said:
Or, stop being a cheapskate and buy $20 worth of 0.060" g10 from alpha knife supply and KNOW it will work and stay working for a long time.
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Yes Alpha sells a 1/16" x 8.5 x 11.5 sheet of orange G10 for $9.00. Why try something that may not work and could end up failing over $9 and a few dollars shipping. JMHO

Jay
 
I used several layers of plastic (vinyl?) note book epoxied together to form the the liners for my fiancé's knife. She likes pink and couldn't find any liners in that color at the time. It has held up fine for the first 3 months. Sorry I couldn't figure out how to upload photos.


Thank you for your sacrifice.


Joe
 
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Most hobby shops have a selection of plastic sheets that might work, The problem might be finding something thin enough 0.030 to 0.060
 
G10 from Alpha Knife Supply is my go-to choice for liners and spacers. It's tough, it finishes up nicely, it doesn't absorb moisture or swell/shrink, it's available in lots of colors and thicknesses, and if you glue it to wood or steel or micarta or other G10 or whatever with a good epoxy... it's not coming apart.

sidenote: AKS has a minimum order of $25 if I remember right. But $25 will get you enough material for lots and lots of handles.

Andy Roy of Fiddleback Forge makes a lot of wood handles with contrasting wood liners. That looks really cool, too. :)

As others said, the main problem with "found" materials is whether or not they'll adhere... for instance, cured epoxy peels right off lids from sour cream containers. So be sure to make a test piece before gluing up a handle with unknown stuff.

You definitely want epoxy between all the "layers". I just glue the liner to the scale material first and drill/cut/shape it as one piece, then assemble/glue/bolt the whole thing together normally.
 
james terrio said:
G10 from Alpha Knife Supply is my go-to choice for liners and spacers. It's tough, it finishes up nicely, it doesn't absorb moisture or swell/shrink, it's available in lots of colors and thicknesses, and if you glue it to wood or steel or micarta or other G10 or whatever with a good epoxy... it's not coming apart.

sidenote: AKS has a minimum order of $25 if I remember right. But $25 will get you enough material for lots and lots of handles.

Andy Roy of Fiddleback Forge makes a lot of wood handles with contrasting wood liners. That looks really cool, too. :)

As others said, the main problem with "found" materials is whether or not they'll adhere... for instance, cured epoxy peels right off lids from sour cream containers. So be sure to make a test piece before gluing up a handle with unknown stuff.

You definitely want epoxy between all the "layers". I just glue the liner to the scale material first and drill/cut/shape it as one piece, then assemble/glue/bolt the whole thing together normally.
Click to expand...

Thanks James - you answered all my questions.
 
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