All About Pocket Knives

Here's an idea i've been playing around with for knife handles. These are made from antique Chestnut from a 120 year old barn we tore down several years ago. Weight wise, they're a bit on the light side, but thought about routing a pocket in the back and adding lead weights of some sort to beef 'em up. I used a few different proccesses to get different effects.
I kinda figure that if it was tough enough to survive 120 years of Ozarks weather, it should hold up as knife handles pretty well.

WB

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay cool handle material!!

I think it would be to your advantage to find some way to impregnate them with epoxy, polyurethane, what ever. I may have the materials wrong but you get the idea. The handles look great but they need something to give them some durability. IMO

Good lookin' stuff!
I would have it stabilized.
There are a number of companies that provide stabilizing services. I know K & G does stabilizing.
Stabilizing will add substantial weight to the handles plus make it extremely durable.


I have known a few old time painters who painted with lead based paint. Lead poisoning is brutal.
I wouldn't want to carry a chunk of lead in my pocket day in & day out. especially when it is not necessary.
I wouldn't be too concerned about carrying it occasionally, but to carry it for any length of time....?
Thanks, but I will pass on that.

I really didn't think durability would be an issue. I guess I was thinking in terms of it having weathered 120 years of everything mother nature could throw at it. That ol' barn would still be standing, if the landowner hadn't wanted it taken down so he could put up a new metal barn. On raw wood handles, I do seal the surface, but just to keep dirt and polishing compound from penetrating. A commercial grade thin set superglue (cyacrylinate?) works real good for that. Chestnut is naturally resistant to rot and decay.
I'm not sure the lead would be a problem, but maybe a small piece of steel inset in the back would be a better choice. They wouldn't need much, just a bit more heft wouldn't hurt.
I'll have to try a set and see how it goes.

WB

Canal Street currently has a line of knives that are handled in reclaimed chestnut wood which came from a barn in Hopkinsville, Ky. It is some fine handle material. Below is a picture of one (on the right) that I "borrowed" from a current AAPK store listing. (Thanks Redtrout, hope you don't mind)

Phil

I like that series from CS, Phil! When it's planed smooth, Chestnut resembles oak and is an open grained wood. I imagine Canal Street probably did have it stabilized (and possibly dyed) for their knives.
I wouldn't mind having a few sets stabilized, but i'm not sure how cost effective it would be for a small timer like me.
Dale mentioned K&G, I guess I could check into it and see if they have a minimum and what it would cost. I don't think the cost per set is probably that much, but if they have a minimum of a thousand sets, that probably isn't gonna happen. I have the material, but no practical use for a 1000 sets of 'em.

WB

There are some back yard stabilizers that might do it for you. Just send them a section of plank and they will send you back a few blocks. Sorry I don't know any over there but they are around. There are a couple over here now. It's harder over here due to the best ingredients for that sort of thing being banned. They are still available in the US though.

WB, here's a link to a site detailing some suggestions for home stabilizing techniques for small pieces.

http://www.veddermountainhardwoods.com/ ... lted-wood/

Thanks IH, i'll have a look around and see what I can come up with.
I had thought about trying to build a stabilizer, using an old preasure cooking pot. There's alot I don't know about the whole process and not sure if it would work, but it's one of those tinkering projects that had crossed my mind. I think it's in the way I was brought up, you always do for yourself, before paying to have it done. Must be more to it then i'm thinking there is though, or everyone would be doing it themselves.

WB