# 1st attempt



## Az Turnings (Jul 30, 2016)

after seeing the scale and grip trade I wanted to try my hand at making knife handles. So I cheated and just bought a knife kit from woodcraft. Wood used is walnut crotch. All comments good or bad are welcome !!!

Reactions: Like 2 | EyeCandy! 1 | Way Cool 2 | Creative 1


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## NYWoodturner (Jul 30, 2016)

Nice job Blake


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## Wildthings (Jul 30, 2016)

Nice job! One thing I see is the slope of the scales nearest the blade. They are very different. Try securing the two scales together with tape etc before installing and contouring and sanding to the correct profile. This is all done before adhering them to the knife. You can get a better view of the outcome this way

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1 | Useful 3


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## ripjack13 (Jul 30, 2016)

It looks good.

What is smudge near the handle on the blade?


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## Jack "Pappy" Lewis (Jul 30, 2016)

not bad...keep working on your clean up...I had trouble with mine in the beginning but after a time you will see a big difference in the appearance of your knives as you progress.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## Az Turnings (Jul 30, 2016)

Wildthings said:


> Nice job! One thing I see is the slope of the scales nearest the blade. They are very different. Try securing the two scales together with tape etc before installing and contouring and sanding to the correct profile. This is all done before adhering them to the knife. You can get a better view of the outcome this way


Yeah I had noticed that too. Definitely will pay attention to that on the next one!


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## Az Turnings (Jul 30, 2016)

ripjack13 said:


> It looks good.
> 
> What is smudge near the handle on the blade?


I think it's just residue left over from the painters tape that I covered the blade with.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Foot Patrol (Jul 30, 2016)

Blake nice job. I would suggest rounding the front of the handles instead of a straight cut. It will give is more character. I would also sand the edges of the handle so it feels good in the hand. I sand like you would polish your shoes from side to side with the sand paper cut into strips about 12 inches long by .5 inch or smaller wide. As I move up in grits I will alternated side to side then back to forth from back to front. This way you are taking out the stretches from the previous grit. I typically will hand sand from 220, 320, 400, 600. 1000 and finish with 1500 grit. If the wood is really hard you may need to start with 120 grit. I hate hand sanding my blades but for the handle it seems more therapeutic as I can see more and more of the figure coming out with each grit. After 1500 grit I typically will use a buffing wheel with white or pink compound.

Reactions: Great Post 2 | Informative 1


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## robert flynt (Jul 30, 2016)

As mentioned earlier, you should contour the edges of the scales to make them more comfortable and if your going to use screws to attach the scales use temporary screws and replace them with permanent one after the shaping is completed. To clean the tang up better I would use a length of 1" wide flat bar as backing for 1" strips of sand paper as well as different diameter wooden dowels.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Great Post 1 | Informative 1


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## Az Turnings (Jul 31, 2016)

robert flynt said:


> As mentioned earlier, you should contour the edges of the scales to make them more comfortable and if your going to use screws to attach the scales use temporary screws and replace them with permanent one after the shaping is completed. To clean the tang up better I would use a length of 1" wide flat bar as backing for 1" strips of sand paper as well as different diameter wooden dowels.


Ok thanks! I never thought about using temporary screws that makes a lot more sense though! Also like the idea of using dowels.


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## TRfromMT (Jul 31, 2016)

Looking good. It will take a few tries to work out the details, but as you go, it's the fine details that make the difference. Rounding the edges so the overall handle has an oval/egg shape will be a big step forward.

Reactions: Agree 1


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