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Help Putting Scales on a Knife ?
Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 11:30 am
by Draac
I picked up this knife (20 bucks), it looks like it was carved out of a single block of steel. It did not come with scales on the handles. I picked up a couple of knife scales "Rosewood Burl", Size: 4" x 1 1/4" x 3/8", Professionally age dryed 2 years, hard, tremendous character. Also a 1/8 inch brass pin. (see images below).
Questions:
1/ Do I glue or expoxy on the scales once I've cut them to fit? Then do I drill the holes for the pins or do I drill the holes for the pins in the knife first and transfer them though the holes onto the scales to be drilled.
2/ Also what is the best way to secure the pins through the knife ? Do I just roll them over with a ball peen hammer ?
Thanks for any info you can give. Or a web page that would help me out here. I have woodworking experience and the tools ( I use to make one of a kind high end furniture when my eye sight was better, it's hard to cut wood to the expensive wood 64th of an inch at 51 years old..hehe).
Note: Check out the image of the finished knife with the scales I bought. I can only hope mine come out so good or better. I figure for a few bucks it was worth a trying to accomplish this project and learn along the way.
Draac
Re: Help Putting Scales on a Knife ?
Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 2:59 pm
by muskrat man
use a carbide drill to drill the pin holes in the tang
cut scales to fit
glue on one side
drill pin holes
glue on other side
drill the pin holes through that side
roll pins in epoxy and insert through holes
while epoxy is still wet you can peen them over if you want but it's not 100% necessary and you run the risk of breaking the handles if you hit the pin wrong.
Re: Help Putting Scales on a Knife ?
Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 3:28 pm
by Draac
Thank you "muskrat man". Those directions sound good to me. I never thought of using epoxy to set the brass pins in. I was a little scared to roll them over because of what you stated, that it may break the scales rolling them with a ball peen hammer.
I'll give this project a go very soon.
Draac
Re: Help Putting Scales on a Knife ?
Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 11:54 pm
by ea42
Draac, along with MM's spot on directions, don't forget to rough up the tang with some coarse sandpaper for better adhesion, and clamp the scales on while the glue's drying (Make sure they're flat on the tang side). A good two part epoxy works great.
Eric
FYI- Contrary to the norm today, When cutlers referred to knife handle material as scales, it only applied (and still does today) to fixed blade knives, as in the above example. On folding pocket knives, scales are actually the liners (both terms are used interchangeably). Scales in both cases (fixed and folders) are the part of the handle that overlaps the tang.
On folders, the handle material is the cover, which is attached to the bolster scale (or cover scale in some instances). There are also cut scales and center scales which are found between the blades of multi-blade knives. When the cover is attached to the bolster scale, the unit is called a haft.
Seems that today everyone's calling the handle material "scales", but it just isn't so, and makes no sense to boot.
Eric
Re: Help Putting Scales on a Knife ?
Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 2:48 pm
by knives-are-quiet
ea42 wrote:Draac, along with MM's spot on directions, don't forget to rough up the tang with some coarse sandpaper for better adhesion, and clamp the scales on while the glue's drying (Make sure they're flat on the tang side). A good two part epoxy works great.
Eric
FYI- Contrary to the norm today, When cutlers referred to knife handle material as scales, it only applied (and still does today) to fixed blade knives, as in the above example. On folding pocket knives, scales are actually the liners (both terms are used interchangeably). Scales in both cases (fixed and folders) are the part of the handle that overlaps the tang.
On folders, the handle material is the cover, which is attached to the bolster scale (or cover scale in some instances). There are also cut scales and center scales which are found between the blades of multi-blade knives. When the cover is attached to the bolster scale, the unit is called a haft.
Seems that today everyone's calling the handle material "scales", but it just isn't so, and makes no sense to boot.
Eric
What's handle material on a fixed knife with a hidden tang called?
A scale, as in one piece of wood or bone exc....
J W
Re: Help Putting Scales on a Knife ?
Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 4:14 pm
by Draac
knives-are-quiet wrote:ea42 wrote:Draac, along with MM's spot on directions, don't forget to rough up the tang with some coarse sandpaper for better adhesion, and clamp the scales on while the glue's drying (Make sure they're flat on the tang side). A good two part epoxy works great.
Eric
FYI- Contrary to the norm today, When cutlers referred to knife handle material as scales, it only applied (and still does today) to fixed blade knives, as in the above example. On folding pocket knives, scales are actually the liners (both terms are used interchangeably). Scales in both cases (fixed and folders) are the part of the handle that overlaps the tang.
On folders, the handle material is the cover, which is attached to the bolster scale (or cover scale in some instances). There are also cut scales and center scales which are found between the blades of multi-blade knives. When the cover is attached to the bolster scale, the unit is called a haft.
Seems that today everyone's calling the handle material "scales", but it just isn't so, and makes no sense to boot.
Eric
What's handle material on a fixed knife with a hidden tang called?
A scale, as in one piece of wood or bone exc....
J W
All that I know, that to find wood or bone for a fixed knife, you must search for "knife scales" on Ebay. That's how I found what I bought. Not saying you are wrong "knives-are-quiet" I just know what I had to do to find them for sale. Take a look at this Ebay page from my sale, you wil see others there all called "scales" as well.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0577966263
Thank you all once again for your imput.
Draac
Re: Help Putting Scales on a Knife ?
Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 5:58 pm
by gringo
Re: Help Putting Scales on a Knife ?
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 4:15 pm
by knives-are-quiet
Draac wrote:knives-are-quiet wrote:ea42 wrote:Draac, along with MM's spot on directions, don't forget to rough up the tang with some coarse sandpaper for better adhesion, and clamp the scales on while the glue's drying (Make sure they're flat on the tang side). A good two part epoxy works great.
Eric
FYI- Contrary to the norm today, When cutlers referred to knife handle material as scales, it only applied (and still does today) to fixed blade knives, as in the above example. On folding pocket knives, scales are actually the liners (both terms are used interchangeably). Scales in both cases (fixed and folders) are the part of the handle that overlaps the tang.
On folders, the handle material is the cover, which is attached to the bolster scale (or cover scale in some instances). There are also cut scales and center scales which are found between the blades of multi-blade knives. When the cover is attached to the bolster scale, the unit is called a haft.
Seems that today everyone's calling the handle material "scales", but it just isn't so, and makes no sense to boot.
Eric
What's handle material on a fixed knife with a hidden tang called?
A scale, as in one piece of wood or bone exc....
J W
All that I know, that to find wood or bone for a fixed knife, you must search for "knife scales" on Ebay. That's how I found what I bought. Not saying you are wrong "knives-are-quiet" I just know what I had to do to find them for sale. Take a look at this Ebay page from my sale, you wil see others there all called "scales" as well.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0577966263
Thank you all once again for your imput.
Draac
Scales, handle material, whatever the true term is you got those for a good price.
They usually go for 30 to 40 bucks.
Your knife sort of resembles a platte knife or maybe a small bowie???
What are the dimensions of the knife? Length, width and thickness of the blade plus overall length.
Post pictures when you get the knife done...
JW
Re: Help Putting Scales on a Knife ?
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 4:41 pm
by FRJ
ea42.....Eric,
thank you for that information. I have grown to appreciate proper nomenclature and have heard of liners being called scales, and various names for "covers", and lots of other confusing terms for knives. Out of ingorance I have contributed to the mayhem. I'll follow your confident lead and try to use what seem to be proper terms from now on. I think these words are important. If we all comply, as interested knife folks, the channels of communacation will be clearer.
Thanks again Eric.
Re: Help Putting Scales on a Knife ?
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 1:26 am
by orvet
Here is a link to the Schrade Handbook showing Schrade's termonology.
It is posted on AAPK in the Schrade Research section.
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/art ... php?page=8
