How To Clean A Stacked Leather Knife Handle

• #ane

What type of leather would be best suited for a stacked handle? High density would seem to exist the best, I think, Horse butt?
Sole leather? don't know what type or form leather that would be, whatsoever thoughts ?
Cheers
Mark

• #two

I take never made one, Mark, just sole bends are probably the most dense leather. It takes a darn good pocketknife just to cut the stuff....it's tough!

Good select veg. tan could fill the bill as well and is probably what is used for most applications.

Paul

• #three

Mark,

In the few that I've done I simply use scrap pieces of viii-9 oz. that are left over from my sheath making (I try not to throw anything away). I pre-shrink them a scrap as a pre-emptive mensurate. When I glue up the handle I put epoxy between each "washer" and later on everything is dry out and sanded to shape I employ several coats of Tru-oil--the leather just soaks it upwardly.

Here's 1 I did a couple of years back. Note that you probably want to cut the washers from the same slice of leather. I used leftover pieces from a couple of different hides, and you tin see a colour difference between the forrard nigh washer and the remainder.

• #4

Thank you Paul,NJ
I'll use what's here, rather than buy any more than. If dissatisfied, information technology gives me an excuse to effort once again, and the more knives I brand the more sheaths I become to make.

• #five

I accept sent leather washers to K&G and had them stabalized they work great and don't swell or compress. They smooth out peachy also.
Cheap to practice and worth every penny

Percy

• #6

I have saved a agglomeration of scrap planning on playing around with this some twenty-four hours. Question, how practise make them? how exercise you go the hole centered?

I was thinking the best way to make these " leather blanks" would exist to draw a circle with a compass, then punch the center hole?

then use a arch dial to cutting out the "blanks"?

Then soak the pieces in some type of glue, I was thinking Elmer's glue or polyester resin?

then stack upward the pieces using a long bolt fitted with a washers in both sides, washers beingness the size (or a piddling bigger) then the leather pieces. And so using a nut on top and cranking the stack down to clamp and compress the stack.

I know that it is not likely that all the center holes I'll exist lined up perfectly, but thought that would exist stock-still at the end by sanding?

To me information technology sounds like it would work well?? Simply the more than I think well-nigh it the more I call up it's a hell of a lot of piece of work and there has to be a easer fashion?

Past the way I thinking/ talking nearly making a long plenty piece to brand a full handle, say 6" long cylinder, not just a spacer.

• #7

I have sent leather washers to K&G and had them stabalized they piece of work groovy and don't swell or shrink. They shine out swell also.
Cheap to do and worth every penny

Percy

As well since it came up here I idea is share a little truck I learned with past experiments of mine.

I found a manner to stabilize you own wood, HORN!!, or in this case leather. Using a 1/2 gallon madison jar ( I recollect thats the largest size that is made, if some on knows of a bigger one please let me know), a food saver vacuum packer similar this:

http://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-Adv...six?due south=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1334000917&sr=ane-6

Fitted with the mansion jar attachment, this one:

http://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-T03-0023-01-Wide-Mouth-Jar-Sealer/dp/B00005TN7H

And Nelsonite wood stabilizer.

http://www.HighTempTools.com/nelsonite.html

Put the wood, horn, or leather in the jar and fill with Nelsonite. And so create a vacuum in the jar with the nutrient saver machine. You will come across lots of bubbles coming out of the stuff y'all put in there, that'southward air. I leave the jar siting sealed up in a warm identify for a day or to just to be prophylactic. When y'all release the vacuum by opening the jar nature hates a void then all the little holes (the bubbling from before) are "sucked" full of the stabilizer.

• #viii

I take fabricated a stacked leather handle a while ago. I used the threaded commodities and nut press to shrink the leather before gluing merely I moistened the leather before manus to aid in the compression. I also used forest glue to agree the leather washers together. The issue was a solid leather handle. Unfortunately I ruined the pocketknife and guard. The handle was the simply thing correct with the knife.

BTW, the leather I used was scrap leather which was excess sheath leather. It could have been viii to 9 oz. The press really compacted the leather down tight and dense, information technology looked alot thinner than when I started.

Last edited: Apr 24, 2022

• #ix

Generally, I utilize vii/8 oz leather that is chip from my left over sheaths. The pieces are epoxied together and I compress them with a pocketknife clench and I made particularly for leather stacked handles. Epoxy has worked better for me vs. wood glue, but its left up to you! I use Tru-oil to finish the leather handle, same equally NJStricker.

• #10

I bought the pre-cutting washers from our resident supplier and they worked out cracking. Plenty large enough for the largest handles, though they might be a bit pricey by some's thinking.

I wetted the washers in clean h2o and used Gorilla glue to join them. Ii or 3 at a time, I clamped them up betwixt shims and set them aside to dry. Then I took those pocket-sized stacks and glued them to each other until I had a handle-length that I liked. Any clench will work because yous're not needing a lot of force per unit area. I liked the Gorilla glue considering it swells, insuring that all the nooks and crannies get filled, and sinks into the pores of the leather.

Skilful Vegetable-tanned leather will shrink if you actually squeeze it when information technology's wet... like I did. Do not put the pressure level to them in your vice or they will squish to all sorts of shapes and thicknesses.. and this ways more than piece of work for yous. When they say "compressed leather washer" handles, they mean that the leather is pressed together, not squeezed without mercy. Ask me how I learned this!

I would exist very curious about stabilizing the leather prior to installation. I have a pocketknife on deck that I've done in leather, but it's non besides late to ship her off for stabilizing. I was planning on soaking the handle in Thompson'southward Forest Seal before installing it on the tang, and then give her regular coats of tung oil afterwards. Merely stabilizing would exist more than durable, for sure.

• #12

Has anyone tried this with dyed black veg tan?

• #13

Im willing to bet it volition work with just nigh anything but suede-- too soft unless you put something on it to harden it.

Source: https://knifedogs.com/threads/question-stacked-leather-knife-handle.23852/

Posted by: penceharriew.blogspot.com

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