New paring knife handle....

I mentioned that $1 Dollar Tree paring knife that had a weak plastic handle with sheet metal formed shell that fit over it. The blade was down right blunt. And blade had very short tang with one hole much like mounting end of a jig saw blade. So blade loosened almost immediately when I tried to use it out of the package. Found out what a craptastic engineering job somebody did on handle when I removed it from the blade.

I had got around to cutting slot ahead of the existing hole so I could use two rivets/pins/bolts... Drill bits I have couldnt drill through tempered stainless steel. Used dremel with cut off wheel and dipped blade in bucket water frequently to keep blade cool.

Well today happened to step outside my door and saw piece of dry oak tree branch just about right size. Cut out four inch section and cut slot in it for blade using a hacksaw, and drilled couple holes to match the hole/slot in the blade. Used couple small brass stove bolts rather than rivets or pins.

Turned out pretty well. Need to get some 100% tung oil and give it couple coats.

But all in all, the handle turned out to be pretty trivial.

Have to say this effort wasnt because this blade was in any way especially worthy of a new handle. I owned it, worthless with original handle, available for experimentation, and I wanted to see how hard it would be to put new better handle onto an existing knife blade.

we are moving into an era where most inexpensive knives have cheap uncomfortable plastic handles. When you can replace junk plastic handle with a nice comfortable free hardwood handle, it would seem a good thing to do.

Blade did take and hold edge, but sure its not any great piece of kitchen cutlery. Just an experiment.

Happened to see that cheap used Victorinox paring knife I bought as one of my used knives to experiment with. It sharpened ok, but that hard plastic handle is a nightmare to hold on to. Well I managed to remove the plastic handle. (wrap blade in tape before doing this sort thing.... ask me how I know!) Tang is very short and only one hole.



Cut and sanded another short length of oak branch. Cut slot and epoxied the blade into the slot. Epoxy should be fully cured in 24hr. Reading online, you really only need the epoxy, and pins/rivets/bolts are for decoration only if you use epoxy. The epoxy also keeps moisture building in the handle and on the tang. Hmm... will see tomorrow I guess once I sand off the epoxy drips. Still hard to believe the epoxy is going to hold blade tight in the handle with no pins or rivets or bolts.

Still amazes me how easy it is to make rather nice handle out of just bit of dry tree branch.

Ok, forum software is truncating the pic. Here is direct link: http://www.imagesup.net/?di=15141218423314



By way the epoxy seems to work great. No rivets needed. This handle is much superior to hold in larger hands than original plastic junk, but shape not quite as comfortable in my hand as handle on other knife in first post.

Oh and try your best to keep epoxy off the blade, kind of a pain to clean it off once dry or even partially dry.

Admin wrote:I mentioned that $1 Dollar Tree paring knife that had a weak plastic handle with sheet metal formed shell that fit over it. The blade was down right blunt. And blade had very short tang with one hole much like mounting end of a jig saw blade. So blade loosened almost immediately when I tried to use it out of the package. Found out what a craptastic engineering job somebody did on handle when I removed it from the blade.

I had got around to cutting slot ahead of the existing hole so I could use two rivets/pins/bolts... Drill bits I have couldnt drill through tempered stainless steel. Used dremel with cut off wheel and dipped blade in bucket water frequently to keep blade cool.

Well today happened to step outside my door and saw piece of dry oak tree branch just about right size. Cut out four inch section and cut slot in it for blade using a hacksaw, and drilled couple holes to match the hole/slot in the blade. Used couple small brass stove bolts rather than rivets or pins.

Turned out pretty well. Need to get some 100% tung oil and give it couple coats.

But all in all, the handle turned out to be pretty trivial.

Some reason still thinking paring knife properties and spied that $1 Dollar General paring knife that was first to get a new homemade handle. I had got it sharp (at bottom edge of blade) but it wasnt pleasant to use, has wide blade and all that, so initially cuts ok, but lot resistance going though tougher stuff as the wider non-tapered part of blade has to find its way through following that shallow tapered edge. So fired up sander with coarsest grit belt. Thinned that sucker so tapered edge bevel is now half the width of blade and this cut down resistance of blade cutting through stuff. Wow is all I can say. Moved it way up the preferred pecking order in my pile of paring knives to where I wouldnt hesitate to grab it to use. I still prefer narrower bladed paring knife, but if this was my only paring knife, wouldnt complain. Think I discovered secret of my preferred paring knives. Sucks that new paring knifes dont come fresh out of package like this.

Ok, sorry, seems one of the pic hosting sites deletes pics after only short time. Will repost them soon. Grrr...