im a nubie and have questions about securing sacles to the blade

[andrewfinnie13]

I am a nubie to the knife making world and am about to jump into knife making but haven't the faintest idea how to secure the knife scales. first off, my blade is one from twofingerknife.net in 1095, its a full tang 3/16 in thick 6 1/2 inch blade with overall length of 11 in i think ive narrowed down the handle material to some designer micarta but i do not know how to go about securing the scales to the handle. there are hidden bolt fasteners, pins, ect. ect. basically what im asking is do i need to epoxy the scales to the handle and the secure them or can i just secure them and second, what is the best kind of fastener to use for this particular knife? oh yes, and can i take a 1/8 in piece of micarta and use it as a spacer without using glue or epoxy? and is so is that a smart choice?

thanks

 

[firebert]

There are many correct ways to attach handle slabs. I will describe the way I use.

I use a combination of epoxy and pins. The epoxy actually holds the slabs in place while the pins protect against shear stress.

(be sure to tape the blade up so you don't hurt yourself)

The first thing I do is rough out the slabs. Make sure they're flat and not too big. There are many ways to prepare the glue-surfaces. I like to grind a hollow into the blade tang and put divots in the slabs with a drill-press. This gives the epoxy more to hold onto and helps everything fit flat; it is not vital.

Then I drill the holes. I like to use pins slightly smaller than the tang holes. I find it helps everything fit together better, it allows room for error. Stack your scales and blade with the blade on top as a template. I use a drop of superglue to make sure nothing shifts. Clamp and drill.

Then dry fit everything together and shape the handle profile a bit, concentrate on the front. Fit the scales together without the blade and finish the front profile. Get this part completely done, as it's hard to finish with the blade in the way.

Glue everything together with a strong, slow-cure epoxy. Devcon 2-ton works fine. Contact pressure is sufficient, you don't want to squeeze all of the glue out. Clean up the excess with solvent.

Then finish shaping and sanding and you're done.

Phillip

 

[James_Terrio]

oh yes, and can i take a 1/8 in piece of micarta and use it as a spacer without using glue or epoxy? and is so is that a smart choice?

I use epoxy between each layer when using spacers. If nothing else, it prevents moisture from getting in there.

Other than that, what firebert said. :thumbup:

 

[andrewfinnie13]

thanks guys... that actually helped out a lot. im bit of a hands on learner and find it hard not to understand without doing but i understood every bit.
thanks.. cant wait to post my first knife here.

 

[Josh Dabney]

Thought I'd pass on some things that have helped me a great deal. First check out this link which is a sticky thread at the top of Bladesmith Questions and Answers.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=452465

Secondly, especially at the very begining of this adventure even one book on knifemaking can answer a great deal of newbie questions and everyone has their pesonal favorites but I would recommend "How to make knives" by Loveless.

Don't forget to "Google" also. There is a ton of tutorials out there all over the web. Here is another link that will keep you busy learning for awhile

http://gbrannon.bizhat.com/old.htm

Hope this helps you out -Josh