Making a handle(s) for a Mora blade???

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Plainsman

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Apr 5, 1999
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I picked up a Mora blade, minus the handle at a gunshow from either a #780 Craftsman or #840 Clipper, and I'd like to make a handle for it. Does anybody have any recommendations? (Sidenote: I'm ALLERGIC to ALL epoxy glues and cements, so I can't epoxy anything together! :o )

The blade design I have is either the first or second in this pic!
moraxrayfrostswtextsq4.jpg



Thanks for any/all ideas!
 
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...do you have a wife or friend who can epoxy for you?

I mean yes, knives were made for a few thousand years before epoxy came about, but It's much easier and stronger.
 
It'd be easier getting her to gut a deer, and that isn't going to happen anytime during my lifetime! LOL! :))
 
Just an idea here, but couldn't you use pitch with some type of finely chopped fiber embedded in lieu of epoxies?
 
Yes, pitch would be a good alternative... Making a flexible pitch, not brittle is the key.

I heat pine sap in a bowl. I add ground charcoal, stir in. I add ground dried deer scat, stir in. The deer scat is ground grass which gives flexibility and binding qualities. Dry grass works as well. Make sure scat is dry!

Make sure there isn't too much charcoal. More charcoal means lighter and more airy and brittle.

I use a stick, roll it in the pitch, then let cool. And repeat this until I have a pitch stick. When you need some, or a lot, just heat the amount, break it off and use. I carry some in shells with me for travel in my pouches...
 
akennedy: The tang is not tapered...I don't want to adjust the tang/blade design at all. Thanks!
 
Or just use plain old wood-glue. Sure, it may not hold as well as epoxy, nor will it take water very well, but it'll hold just fine for a handle on a mora blade. Epoxy is commonly used, because it's generally considered the strongest glue out there. But to be honest, in a stick-tang knife, it would be overengineered to use epoxy. I've rehandled a few knives, (Brusletto blades i believe they were.) and just used wood-glue (The white stuff.) to put it together. Holds beautifully.

That's my two cents worth.
 
Sorry guys, it's NOT a stick tang design, please look at the x-ray photo in the link above. This is why I'm wondering about handle design ideas.
 
Well, it is a stick tang, albeit a short one. You could drill a hole through the tang, and pin it into the handle. As for handle design, i think you should form the handle in the way most comfortable to you. Alot of Norwegian knifemakers buy their blades ready made, and shape the handle to their own liking. (And most Norwegian knives are stick-tang of one design of another.)
 
i would use gorilla glue or super glue, they will both hold material well, decide what you want to use as a handle, take each handle slab and a groove in the handele slab the size of the tang, glue it up and then shape the handle to fit your preference.

alex
 
There appears to be a notch in the tang of both Moras you mentioned. If I were faced with a no glue problem perhaps a tightly drilled slot for the tang, into a good hardwood like Rock Maple, followed by a fastener drilled 90 degrees to the notch to bind in place. This would take some accurate measuring and careful layout. Try the local hardware store for brass screw type fasteners that you could then grind off flush with a Dremel tool. Good Luck.
 
I think your best bet is pewter, like someone else suggested. Drill/file the slot int the wood for the tang, make sure you have a good fit. Then insert the tang with the blade pointed up in a vise. Melt the pewter and poor it in, you may need to fashion some type of funnel. This is going to be the strongest and easiest option other than epoxy.
 
alco141 said:
i would use gorilla glue or super glue, they will both hold material well, decide what you want to use as a handle, take each handle slab and a groove in the handel slab the size of the tang, glue it up and then shape the handle to fit your preference.

alex
Click to expand...

Mmmm....Gorilla Glue. Sounds like a good suggestion to me!
 
pewter should work fine. if you use gorilla glue rember that it expands and also thqt it has small air pockets when it dries that show up when you sand. If you use pewter you can make a form by wraping the top of the handle with paper ( i use an old paper bag and masking tape ) and taping it off. Make sure the handle is very dry if there is mosture inside the pewter can pop and splater wich can hurt one and two leave voids.
 
Drill a hole in the tang and use a corby bolt. Use Wayne Goddard's utility knife as a guide in the "$50 knife shop book". Counter sink it enough that you still have some head left after you cut/grind the excess off. Shape your handle and be happy. Any chance you are going to find more allergies while you are sanding/shaping whatever handle material you plan to use? Respirator is a great suggestion.
 
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