Yvsa: Your advice was spot-on; thanks!

[Noah Zark]

Yvsa:

A few weeks ago I asked for 411 on how to remove a Khuk handle and your advice to:

1) Grind the tang stub,
2) Pry off the cap,
3) Heat the bolster and handle with a heat gun until the laha runs freely out of the bolster,
4) Remove the handle and scrape out the cooled laha from the bolster and from the tang

was all spot-on. It took all of maybe 15-20 minutes to get it this far.

Now all I have to do is prep the handle blocks and install with the epoxy.

Thank you very much for the info and your time!

Noah

 

[Yvsa]

Why you are very welcome Noah. Glad I could be of help.
I don't recall what you were going to do but if you're replacing the handle with a new one a nice little 1/4" wide wood chisel will go a long way in aiding your work to fit the handle to the khuk.
A 5'16" would probably work as well but I prefer to work slow and sure rather than have to do work over because I tried to go too fast.
I like the new handle to just be able to wiggle a little all the way around so as to keep the amount of epoxy holding things together to a minimum.

 

[Khukuri Monster]

I found a great tool for quickly shaping handles. It's basically a round cheese grater on a stick. It goes on a drill or drill press, and can take off wood pretty fast (sometimes too fast, if you aren't careful).

Here's a link, so you can see what I'm trying to describe:

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=5165

The same company, Microplane, also makes some rasp-like hand tools that are good for shaping handles, if you don't like power tools. I have the square and half round, and they are very useful.

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=2009

 

[Khukuri Monster]

What kind of material are you using for the handle replacement?

 

[Noah Zark]

A chunk of American black cherry from north central PA, where exists the largest stand of black cherry in the world.

Noah

 

[donutsrule]

What if you want to take the handle and bolster off of a historic blind tang khuk? And you want to re-use the handle?

I got one of those Atlanta Cutlery specials and the blade moves ever so slightly and is also a bit cockeyed relative to the handle. Assuming the blade itself is not bent but has only become "uncentered" in the handle, is there an easy, reliable way to reseat it in the laha or re-bed it in the same handle?

 

[Svashtar]

I found a great tool for quickly shaping handles. It's basically a round cheese grater on a stick. It goes on a drill or drill press, and can take off wood pretty fast (sometimes too fast, if you aren't careful).

Here's a link, so you can see what I'm trying to describe:

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=5165

The same company, Microplane, also makes some rasp-like hand tools that are good for shaping handles, if you don't like power tools. I have the square and half round, and they are very useful.

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=2009

These are good tools and I can vouch for them along with Khukuri Monster as well. You just have to be careful with the microplane on the drill press, as it will really remove material quickly. Plus there is no sawdust! Just tiny little shavings that are easy to vacuum up. I also hardly ever use regular wood rasps any more, but will use the hand microplanes instead. I bought a set with replaceable round, flat and triangular blades, that snap in and out of a plastic handle, and another larger one piece rasp with a handle on each side for some serious stock removal. Eventually the blades have to be replaced, but they last a long time. They also come in slightly cheaper versions without replaceable blades.

Regards,

Norm

 

[Nasty]

What if you want to take the handle and bolster off of a historic blind tang khuk? And you want to re-use the handle?

I got one of those Atlanta Cutlery specials and the blade moves ever so slightly and is also a bit cockeyed relative to the handle. Assuming the blade itself is not bent but has only become "uncentered" in the handle, is there an easy, reliable way to reseat it in the laha or re-bed it in the same handle?

Yup...

Take a heat gun and heat the heck out of the handle. As the heat works in, the laha will melt and flow. If you're lucky, there will still be enough laha inside to reseat itself as it cools. If you're not lucky, the handle will simply come off and you can slap some western laha into it to hold it together.

.

 

[donutsrule]

Yup...

Take a heat gun and heat the heck out of the handle. As the heat works in, the laha will melt and flow. If you're lucky, there will still be enough laha inside to reseat itself as it cools. If you're not lucky, the handle will simply come off and you can slap some western laha into it to hold it together.

.

Thankyouverymuch.