Not a very good idea

[Palmier]

Good evening everybody,
I had a Lauri stainless "camping" bought from Brisa,so i decided to build a hunter with it.
My first idea was to make a wood handle with a piece of woodnut and a piece of yew.

(a red 3mm spacer was between the 2 pieces of wood).I dig the pieces,but when on the blade it seemed not very good,pieces are not enough different in length,it was not good to the eye.
As i had a lot of little pieces of leather,i decided to make a leather handle,i never had made one and own no knive with a leather handle.
Things semed to go quite good,i let the epoxy cure 2 1/2 days and sanded.On the belt sander ,except for the dust,it seemed not so bad.But when i began to sand by hand,leather fibres raised from the "inner" part of the leather.I tried to stop this with cyanoacrylate,it worked a little,but i soon reached the leather under the glue coat,fibres raised again....To shorten,after 4 times of gluing and sanding,i ended with a dull finish on the handle thinking that if i pursued i will end with a toothpick handle.
Of course,as the knife is made for me,it's not very important,but i'm sorry to d'nt have made a wood handle.
Greetings.

[Scoutmaster]

Well dont be too hard on yourself.

The one leather handle I made I used no glue and when I got the handle to 120 grit sandpaper I turned it to use the back of the paper after dampening the leather to burnish it.


6 inch bowie finished 2 by alf.branch, on Flickr

[Mr Happymoose]

Definitely don't be too hard on yourself!! I love a stacked leather handle and yours look very very nice indeed!

[Palmier]

Good evening,
Thanks for your kind replies.
Scoutmaster,your handle is very well finished,you get this by dampening!
Next time i will try this ,as dampening holds leather fibres when sanding i suppose.
The leather washers hold their place without glue,but have you used hidden nails or pins to hold them?
I ask this because i own an old,very old ,piece of leather which is a part of a belt used in a water-mill.This leather is full of tallow inside and pitch outside so glue is unable to set on.
It will be interesting to use this old leather as i'ts quite red.
Greetings.

[Igorrock]

One good way to make leather more dense is first soaking it in water and then dry it under pressure. Itīs quite easy when leather has been cut smaller pieces. I have tried it once and it helps. Normal water-soluble PVAC glue is very usefull when stacking leather to the handle.

[Scoutmaster]

I used no glue only the bolt at the end of the tang which is glued in place


Have a read of THIS


6 inch bowie finished 4 by alf.branch, on Flickr


6 inch bowie build 1 by alf.branch, on Flickr

[ta2edfreak]

I think it looks just fine, not a toothpick at all. Scout, that is just the thread I was going to link him. I remember reading it quite a while ago and thinking that it should be simple to do.

[redbeard rum]

I think it looks just fine, not a toothpick at all.

I agree.those lauri blades are pretty wide, and I wouldn't be sorry for not making a wooden handle, this one is good.also, leather is a very nice handle material

Mile

[Palmier]

Good evening,
Thank you very much for your replies.
The tutorial linked by Scoutmaster is very,very well made and useful.I will refer to it next time i try a leather handle.
Redbeard,your handles are beautiful in their clean simple lines.Very good finish.
I have difficulties to make a handle without a little kind of guard,but i made one 2 weeks ago.
Thanks for all.
Greetings