Perhaps
you have an older knife that you are fond of, but the handle is
cracked or damaged in some way and you would like to replace it.
In this article we explain how you can do the job yourself.
For
our method of replacing knife handles, you will need these tools:
an ice pick, a fine-toothed wood saw, a hacksaw, a file, a drill,
a C-clamp, wire cutters, nails, epoxy glue, and a piece of wood
for the handle. The rivets in our new handle will be fashioned from
nails.
First,
we need some basics about knife handles. There are only two main
types: full-tang, which extends completely through the knife handle;
and half-tang, which extends partially through the handle. The tang
is the part of the steel that protrudes into the handle.
Since
full-tang knives are perhaps the easiest ones to put handles on,
we will explain this method first. You will need two slabs of wood.
A piece of hardwood would be nice, but if you cannot obtain any,
you can cut the slabs from a piece of 1/4 inch plywood. Before you
start, you should wrap the blade of the knife with thick tape to
completely cover the cutting edge for safety. Then you can remove
the old handles by clamping the knife to a solid object and using
a hacksaw to cut into the old handle at an angle near each rivet.
Cut so that the rivets are completely sliced loose.
After
removing the handles, you will probably see rust or dirt or other
accumulation on the tang of the blade. You will need to scrape,
wash, or sand away this material. After cleaning, place the knife
tang on the plywood and trace out two slabs to be cut. Then clamp
the plywood to a table or solid object and saw out the slabs being
careful to saw outside of the pencil lines. Next, lay the knife
tang on each of the slabs and mark where the rivet holes should
go with a pencil. Then start a hole in the center of each mark with
your ice pick.
If
you are using a drill press, you should have no trouble keeping
the bit perpendicular to the slabs. But if you are using a hand-held
drill this can be a problem. For this reason, you will use rivets
made from nails that are a little smaller in diameter than the holes
in the knife tang to allow for any misalignment that occurs during
drilling. We will make the rivets from nails, so try to select a
drill bit of the same diameter (if the bit is slightly larger or
smaller it will still work).
After
drilling the holes, place the slabs on the tang and the nails through
the holes. You may have to enlarge some of the holes by reaming
them out with your ice pick. Then cut the nails to proper lengths
with wire cutters and file the ends down smooth.
Then
set your new rivets aside and remove the slabs. Bevel down the edges
by rubbing them with course sandpaper. Use both medium and fine
sandpaper to smooth the bevel at the blade end of the slabs since
you will not be able to smooth it after the slabs have been attached.
Make sure the tang is free from any dirt, grease, or rust and that
it has been roughened up with sandpaper.
Next,
mix the epoxy and apply it to the tang. Dip the rivets in epoxy
and insert them. Lightly clamp the slabs with the C-clamp using
cardboard pads to prevent the slabs from being dented. After allowing
the epoxy to dry thoroughly, smooth the bevels and finish by rubbing
the handle with mineral oil.
To
replace the handle on a half-tang knife, first we will fashion the
new handle from a block of wood about 3/4 inch thick. Think of a
handle shape you would like and draw it on the side of the block
of wood. Or you may just want to outline your old handle. If so,
draw it a little larger to allow for the sanding. (Remember to wrap
the knife blade with tape first for safety.) Then draw a line in
the middle of the block at the end where the tang will be inserted.
Continue to line up each side of the block to the depth that the
tang will be inserted. Now place the block in a vise, or clamp it
to something solid and saw carefully down the line.
Take
the knife with the handle you want to replace and saw through the
rivets with the hacksaw. Remove the handle, then clean and sand
the tang as you did with the full-tang knife.
You
will probably need to enlarge the slot you have sawn before the
tang can be inserted. Simply insert sandpaper into the slot and
sand back and forth, stopping periodically to check the tang for
proper fit. Work the sandpaper on both sides of the slot to keep
it centered in the block. When the tang can fit into the slot snugly,
then saw, whittle, and sand the block to the handle shape you want.
Sight down the slot as you work to keep everything properly centered.
Remember
to smooth the bevel at the blade end of the handle with fine sandpaper
before installing the tang, since you will not be able to smooth
it afterward.
Lay
the handle on a table and place the tang on top of it, aligning
it with the depth of the slot and sides of the handle. Mark the
holes for the rivets, then start a hole in the center of each mark
with the ice pick, and proceed as you did with the full-tang knife.
Remember
to clean all dirt, grease and rust from the tang and roughen it
up with sand paper before applying the epoxy.
