All About Pocket Knives

Here are a few photos of a job I recently completed. I removed the Birdseye handles and replaced them with pinless Bois' D Arc. The pix just show the steps. I hope you enjoy them.
Jeff

1. The original and the rough wood for the handles.


2. With the original handles removed



3 and 4. Next I brad the center pin and file down smooth.



5 and 6. Marking the new handles and cutting to rough shape.



7. (skipped a few steps) after the handles are installed and rough sanded


8 and 9. After final sanding.



10. After sealer, some dry time and a first buffing



11. Finished product

Now THAT is what a Texas toothpick should look like. That sealer really puts a shine on that osage! I may move this to the tutorial section if you don't mind. Hey, how fine of a grit do you take your handles down to before applying a finish? I usually go down to 600 then give it a good runover with 000 steel wool.

Move Away

Hey Jeff very nice tutorial/exhibit of your work, it sure is fun to watch you guys do this and very much appreciated that ya"ll think enough of us to take the time to share with us..

Sunburst

Thanks Sunburst,

If I had a photographer to stand by and take the pictures of each step it would be a better turorial. I get going and forget about the camera.

Glad you enjoyed it!!!
Jeff

Thanks for the showing Jeff, really makes that Queen pop don't it. And this particular wood, Bois D arc is like rock. Can hardly drive a nail in it.


Singin46

You are absolutely correct Singin46. This piece threw the belt off my band saw three times trying to split it.

Great tutorial Jeff & an excellent finished product.

Question for you: What do you have covering the bolsters when you were at the sanding stage?

I am always looking for something better to cover the bolsters with while sanding. I have used several different types of tape. I am wondering what you are using there in your pics?

Very nice work!
Dale

Dale,

I'm real high tech. It is a piece of 2 inch masking tape about three layers deep. I leave it wide just to make it easier to hold on to.

There's been times where I use duct tape also, usually on the blade edge. Only problem (minor) is that it usually leaves adhesive on the blade, but it is easy to remove.

Thanks for the tutorial Jeff, another good one and a good knife to boot. Doesn't get any better than that.

I have used all kind of tapes. I am always trying to find something I can cover the wood with when I buff the bolsters & something to cover the bolsters when I sand the wood.

It has to be tough enough that you don't sand or buff through it.

I thought maybe you had found the Holy Grail of bolster tape!

Dale

dale, i use some aluminum duct? tape on the bolsters while i'm working the handles. it's as thin or thinner than masking tape but won't burn off. i'll see if it has any identification.

great post jeff, that bodark sure looks good. i like the tip of using extra tape to hold on to.

jonet143 wrote:i like the tip of using extra tape to hold on to.

Yes, that is a great idea. I will have to try it!

Dale

....if a person wanted pins showing in the final finished product, would I be correct in assuming the entire knife would have to be disassembled and new pins brazed in place, reassembled then the re-handling process continuned? Just curious.

Beautiful job by the way. Thanks for the show and tell.

Dewman

it isn'tt mandatory to disassemble the whole knife to show pins, but to be done properly it helps, so you can peen them into place to actually help hold everything together.

Kaleb is right, they are peened & that is much easier to do if the knife is disassembled.
I have never seen braised pins. That would probably heat the handle material too hot and burn it.

I am working on a tutorial for you. Taking pics of my grandsons as they work. It is much easier to take pics if you aren't trying to do the work & take the pics both at the same time.

Dale

orvet wrote:. Taking pics of my grandsons as they work. It is much easier to take pics if you aren't trying to do the work & take the pics both at the same time.

Dale

Ain't that the truth!

orvet wrote:Kaleb is right, they are peened & that is much easier to do if the knife is disassembled.
I have never seen braised pins. That would probably heat the handle material too hot and burn it.

I am working on a tutorial for you. Taking pics of my grandsons as they work. It is much easier to take pics if you aren't trying to do the work & take the pics both at the same time.

Dale

I'm looking forward to it. I have two Camillus electricians knives at the ready, hoping to make them into a one blader. The ones I've seen on the forum really caught my eye. I have some nice ambonia wood I plan to use for the scales. If the first one goes as planned, I also have some fiddleback maple I'll use on the other.

Pictured is the ambonia. Nice stuff to work with. About the same hardness as walnut. It has a unique feature of sort of an irridescense (sp?) when you turn it on a different plane with sunlight on it.

Nice wood
You should see the Amboyna Burl, absolutely amazing.
Yesterday I found a new source for wood locally. I won some Koa on ebay and saw it was local. I made arrangements for local pickup. It turns out that I used to work with the guy about 10 years ago. (It's a small world, but I would hate to paint it) He has some of the finest burl I have seen & a number of woods I have not heard of before.

Here is a pic of the wood I got yesterday:
The large piece on the left is stabilized Buckeye Burl, Koa on top left, Red Mallee in left center & Sepele on the bottom left.
Does anyone need a knife re-handled?

Dale

Would that place be in Klamath Falls? I was drooling through a warehouse over there last summer. Fantastic selection and nothing like picking out your own wood. I have a piece of KOA (5A EXTRA CURLY XF lumber) coming from Klamath Falls also, along with some very nicely striped Brazilian Tulipwood.

Real nice haul Dale! Makes me want to be up around those exotic wood warehouses.

P.S. That sure is a great looking piece of Buckeye, indeed one of my top 5 favorites!

Nice Hukk.
This guy has a lot of instrument grade wood & exhibition grade too as he gets it in. I saw a piece of Koa that would make a guitar back.....Knock your socks off.

Dale

muskrat man wrote:it isn'tt mandatory to disassemble the whole knife to show pins, but to be done properly it helps, ...

Is that why the pins were not replaced?
Does this mean that, with modern hi-tech epoxy, pins are not necessary?
Or does the beauty of the scales determine whether pins are put or not?

Thanks for the insider look, agteacher2. For me, it's like a mystery being revealed. You really brought out a glow in that bois d'arc.

do you sand the wood all the way down to the grips shape or do you cut them down to an outline then sand? If so what do you cut?

revencer wrote:do you sand the wood all the way down to the grips shape or do you cut them down to an outline then sand? If so what do you cut?

For me, it all depends on the knife and the handles that were on it. If I am replacing the wood handles of a Schrade LB-7 I will use wood the same thickness as the bolsters, just like on the original.
If I am doing a Stockman, I will leave the wood a bit thicker in the middle and taper it down to meet the bolsters.

I usually use the old handles as a pattern to make the new handles. Of course you have to fit the length precisely to the bolsters, but I will usually leave it wider on the sides and sand it down to fit the liner after I have glued it on.

I hope this helps,
Dale

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