# How I make and finish my knife handles



## Molokai

Why not, I said to myself. I can make one. Here is tutorial how I make and finish knife handles on full tang knives.

I will not bother you with how to glue them or drill the holes. Just shaping the handle and Tru-Oil finish because some of you have asked me how i achieve glossy finish.
I am still relatively new to knife making so if you have a better way to do any of this feel free to share.

Photos are from two knives I am finishing. Always protect the knife blank. I did not use 10 hours in knife just to get scratches or worse from grit 60 or less. Thats why I use tape and hard cardboard to protect the steel by all means.

After the glue is set up (I use epoxy 24 hr, slow cure, the best if you ask me) I use my grinder to remove all the wood from the side. Start with grit 80 (for wood removal) and finish with grit 400 +. First I grind horizontal to the grinder and last, vertical with the finest grit I have, which is grit 400.







Grinder is the only effective way of removing wood because if you go by hand, you will remove more wood than steel and thus the steel will be embossed. You can use brass, micarta or hardwood to back up your sanding paper but is not good like this. I have created handles like that but its slow and you cant get best results.

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## Molokai

Then I scribe my handle shape like on the photo.


 

Back on the grinder with grit 60.


 


After 10 minutes the handle looks like this. This is the fastest way and the most dangerous because one mistake and you have to rehandle the blade. Try to remove it slowly and take your time even if its one hour.

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## Molokai

When I am satisfied, I use my dremel tools with 120 grit and remove some sharp lines etc. I like my handles to be smooth with no sharp transitions.




Then I clamp the knife in my super expensive knife vise (which I'm making and will be any day soon - I hope). Now the hand sanding part, from 120 to 800 grit. If I had made normal type handle I can use piece of brass backed up with sandpaper but here are all the curves and I had to go by hand. I sand one side with grit 120 and then move to other side. Most time goes into sanding with highest grit, because I have to even the both sides. Lots of looking and if you see something uneven, mark it with pencil.



When I work on one side, I protect the other side and the steel with tape.





Now, the most difficult part is not to emboss the pin material. Still learning that part.
I use piece of brass for the front part and old nail polish I stole from my wife, it just fits in the groove perfectly. I have to find something better, longer.

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## ironman123

That is way cool. Very interesting. Thanks for posting.

Ray

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## Molokai

My sand paper, all arranged by grit.



Final touch up of pins, and for Kevin to see why not to use white woods.




Hand sanding steel to grit 800. Pins up to 3000




Now I put some oil on the knife, because it will be in tape for one week. Clean the wood with alcohol and dry it.

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## Molokai

Protect the knife again, and all steel. I cut small strips of tape and tape the tang area. Why ? because tru oil stick to metal. There will be some steel wool sanding later before last coat. Will get to that.




... and the hollow pin, so tru oil dont goes inside when applying.





and first layer of Tru Oil, its kind of dull. You can't apply one coat and make it glossy. Now lets wait 24 hours.




so far it took me three hours to get to this. To be continued in the next days. C & C welcome

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## robert flynt

Molokai said:


> When i am satisfied, i use my dremel tools with 120 grit and remove some sharp lines etc, i like my handles to be smooth with no sharp transitions.
> View attachment 50127
> 
> Then I clamp the knife in my super expensive knife vise (which I'm making and will be any day soon - I hope). Now the hand sanding part, from 120 to 800 grit. If I had made normal type handle i can use piece of brass backed up with sandpaper but here are all the curves and I had to go by hand. I sand one side with grit 120 and then move to other side. Most time goes into sanding with highest grit, because I have to even the both sides. Lots of looking and if you see something uneven, mark it with pencil.
> View attachment 50128
> When I work on one side, I protect the other side and the steel with tape.
> View attachment 50130
> 
> 
> Now, the most difficult part is not to emboss the pin material. Still learning that part.
> I use piece of brass for the front part and old nail polish I stole from my wife, it just fits in the groove perfectly. I have to find something better, longer.
> View attachment 50131


Tom, Get you a piece of broom handle long enough for you to hold with both hands. Then cut your sandpaper in 1" or wider strips and use the round wooden rod as backing for the sandpaper. I have different diameter rods for things like finger grooves and such.

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## NYWoodturner

Tom - Fantastic thread. I am moving to to the classroom though so it doesn't get buried and lost in a few weeks. Many will benefit from this for years to come.

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## Kevin

Tom, excellent thread. I love tutorials especially ones this well done. 

I wish I had been a knife maker in high school. I would've loved for my teacher to tell me to open my notebook so she could see my homework, and instead find reams of sand paper.

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## Foot Patrol

Tom great thread. I got my knives back from heat treating and began sanding and putting handles on today. I could have really used the thread to have included putting the pins in. I intended to use mosaics but the one handle hole did not line up so I had to redrill. Due to this I will have to go with a corby pin instead and countersink the hole a little larger to get everything back in alignment.

I was taught to sand and finish the handle near the ricasso before gluing the handles on since it is very hard to work there without causing unwanted damage at the ricasso handle interface. Needless to say I only have one scale on now and am waiting for the epoxy to dry before putting the other one on. There after I will use your method. I like your idea of drawing the handle shape onto the wood. I think I will use that as I finish these knives.

I have stabilized scales so I will skip the true oil and use some CA instead before using the buffer.

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## PhoenixWoodDesigns

Awesome! I've been wondering how this is done!


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## Molokai

Foot Patrol said:


> I have stabilized scales so I will skip the true oil and use some CA instead before using the buffer.



I also use stabilized buckeye burl and use tru-oil. Why not ?

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## Molokai

Foot Patrol said:


> I only have one scale on now and am waiting for the epoxy to dry before putting the other one on.


Why you dont glue them both ? I drill all the holes, even if the wood is not flat. Use CA glue and attach one scale and drill holes. Make your self one like this.
I found the photo on the web.

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## SENC

Great thread, Tom! Thaks!

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## Foot Patrol

Molokai said:


> I also use stabilized buckeye burl and use tru-oil. Why not ?


 
Since the wood has been stabilized and turned into a plastic wood composite, I would not expect the wood fibres to soak up much of the tru-oil.


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## Foot Patrol

Molokai said:


> Why you dont glue them both ? I drill all the holes, even if the wood is not flat. Use CA glue and attach one scale and drill holes. Make your self one like this.


 
As I mentioned I was taught to try to finish the ricasso side of the handle first. My scales were bookmarked and I did not want to mess up so I used the holes in the heat treated knife as a guide to drill the left side of the handle. They were not glued down like you suggested. I then used the left scale as the guide to finish the right half without drilling through both scale and blade. This is where I made my mistake as i must have drilled the pilot hole in the second scale at a slight angle as it was off by a few thousands and I could not force the pins to line up and had to redrill. So the exit hole on one scale was slightly oval. I then clamp the scales together and grind, sand and slightly buff ricasso end of the scales before trying to glue it all together.

In this case I only glued one side on and will add the other side tonight when I get home from work. Hopefully the corby rivit will cover my mistake.


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## Molokai

Scott, i also finish the front side of the handle (ricasso side) . Connect the scales together with pins, grind them and some hand sanding.
I understand how you made your mistake. It happened to me also, learn as your go. It would be nice if i can learn from other people mistakes...... Not me

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## robert flynt

Molokai said:


> Why you dont glue them both ? I drill all the holes, even if the wood is not flat. Use CA glue and attach one scale and drill holes. Make your self one like this.
> I found the photo on the web.
> 
> View attachment 50277


Tom, If you have a good drill press vise and let say the scale is rounded on one side. Lay the scale on a flat surface flat side down. Then take the vice turn it up side down and clamp your scale in it. when you turn the vice right side up the scale should be nice and level for drilling. one of the main things to do is though, is to make sure the the drill press table is square with the drill. Borrow a dial indicator attach it to a round rod chucked in your drill. rotate it and get the table zeroed left to right and front to back. If the table is perfectly square with the drill you have a little lee way for mistakes.

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## Foot Patrol

Thanks Robert for your description. Looks like I need a few more tools.

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## Molokai

Thanks Robert, i like your advice. 
Can i ask how you drill holes for tapered tangs?


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## robert flynt

Molokai said:


> Thanks Robert, i like your advice.
> Can i ask how you drill holes for tapered tangs?


I always drill the holes in the tang before tapering the tang and since I use corby screw pins there is a special reamer I have that is the diameter of the head and the about 1/4" of the end is milled down to the the diameter of the tang hole. I hardly have any problems getting the screw rivets to make up by just drilling straight through the scales and reaming the hole to within 3/32" of going all the way through the scale. Using this reamer the tapered tang doesn't cause a problem.


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## Molokai

...after four thin coats i can see the marks from small synthetic rag i use. I wait one day more for all to harden.






then i remove the tape from the tang, sand all the tru oil from it with 1500 sand paper.
Use 1500 or 2000 and paper and with little pressure sand the wood, it will go dull but some spots will still be shiny. Thats OK, i want to create flat surface.
I used one piece 2x2 inch of sand paper for all the wood sanding.





Clean the wood from dust. Now, the most important step is to do one side at a time. Apply tru oil and hold the knife horizontal. In beginning i see marks i created with rag but they will dissolve in one minute. This time i put normal amount of tru oil. Dont work in too hot area because it will harden quicker and not become flat. Wait a couple of minutes more and remove some tru oil from the tang. Repeat the process on the other side.





thats it, i will wait one day and see if i am satisfied. Maybe do some polish with micro mesh soft pads, 12000 grit.

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## Foot Patrol

Great tutorial Tom. I will definately use it.

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## Blueglass

Beautiful, of course I'm looking forward to the pic of the whole knife finished!

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## Reiddog1

Great job on the tutorial Tom. Really puts things in prospective. Thank you for writing it.

Dave

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## El Guapo

Great tutorial, Tom! Seeing the process that others use to make fine pieces is one of my favorite parts of wood barter!

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## ironman123

Thanks for sharing.

Ray

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## Molokai

Here is the finished handle.

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## ripjack13

Sweet mother of god....that is awesome!!!

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## woodtickgreg

Beautiful Tom.

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## cabomhn

NYWoodturner said:


> Tom - Fantastic thread. I am moving to to the classroom though so it doesn't get buried and lost in a few weeks. Many will benefit from this for years to come.



You are quite right! I am looking at this now as I'm contemplating making my own leatherworking pattern knife. I will probably majorly screw it up but this thread is very helpful!

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