Head Knife Handle Replacement? What Would You Do?

[tostrap]

Hi All

I've been lurking here for a bit and have learned so much from this great community... I'm a total newb with this stuff and have been slowly acquiring tools for leatherwork...

i recently managed to get a rose head knife and have slowly been 'refurbishing' it... the blade was fairly dull and pitted in some places ... i have been slowly grinding and sharpening it... just tonite i finally managed to get a nice even sharp edge all around the diameter of the blade. it had a nasty flat spot on one side that has now been remedied and i can't be any happier!

however, the handle, which is rosewood, is cracked and i knew the handle was a bit loose... just now i managed to pull the blade out quite easily. it has some surface rust on it, but other than that seems to be ... ok?

i love the idea of this knife being vintage... i'm not really into antiques or anything like that, but this knife is definitely an antique...

so my dilemma... i purchased this knife as a tool to work... i love that its an antique... do i:

1. try to repair the handle (epoxy, etc. whatever)

or

2. try to replace the handle (no longer 'antique'?)

i have a new osborne #70 that works great too... but the minute i laid my hands on the rose... well... you know

and besides... two head knives are better than one right?

actually the rose's blade is smaller than the osborne's and is a better fit for the type of work that i'm doing for the moment...

anyway, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! and if anyone has any pointers as to where i can either buy a replacement handle (rose wood), or make one (tutorial?) that would be greatly appreciated!

thanks for your assistance!

Edited October 3, 2011 by tostrap

[Luke Hatley]

Hi All

I've been lurking here for a bit and have learned so much from this great community... I'm a total newb with this stuff and have been slowly acquiring tools for leatherwork...

i recently managed to get a rose head knife and have slowly been 'refurbishing' it... the blade was fairly dull and pitted in some places ... i have been slowly grinding and sharpening it... just tonite i finally managed to get a nice even sharp edge all around the diameter of the blade. it had a nasty flat spot on one side that has now been remedied and i can't be any happier!

however, the handle, which is rosewood, is cracked and i knew the handle was a bit loose... just now i managed to pull the blade out quite easily. it has some surface rust on it, but other than that seems to be ... ok?

i love the idea of this knife being vintage... i'm not really into antiques or anything like that, but this knife is definitely an antique...

so my dilemma... i purchased this knife as a tool to work... i love that its an antique... do i:

1. try to repair the handle (epoxy, etc. whatever)

or

2. try to replace the handle (no longer 'antique'?)

i have a new osborne #70 that works great too... but the minute i laid my hands on the rose... well... you know

and besides... two head knives are better than one right?

actually the rose's blade is smaller than the osborne's and is a better fit for the type of work that i'm doing for the moment...

anyway, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! and if anyone has any pointers as to where i can either buy a replacement handle (rose wood), or make one (tutorial?) that would be greatly appreciated!

thanks for your assistance!

I would repair the handle and keep the knife intact.........I M H O.......

Edited October 3, 2011 by Luke Hatley

[TwinOaks]

Slather a bit of epoxy in the tang, reinsert, and let cure. If it has a pinned handle, you can use an appropriate sized piece of brazing rod to re-pin it.

[dirtclod]

I have used JB Weld to do the same thing your asking about and it worked great. I have a edger that i'm going to use JB Weld on because the handle keeps coming off. I put the JB weld in the hadle and stick the blade back in and leave it alone for a little while and their good as new. I got mine at a auto parts store but most hardware stores should have it.

[Knipper]

Do you have the knife apart yet? It would help to see some photos of the parts (handle and blade) so I could see how it was put together. That would go a long way in determining the right course of action. Restoring vs replacing parts is a legitimate concern. But sometimes, if you truly want an item to perform well, old worn out parts need to be replaced to bring back the true function of the tool. If you want to resell it as an antique, then preserving the original with all its parts takes precedence. If the original can truly be restored with minimum alteration, then you can have it both ways.

Knipper

[Steve Barbour]

If the cracks in the handle are not too wide, they can be filled and the repair will barely be noticeable. Get some 220 or 320 grit sandpaper and sand the handle and let the sanding dust fill in the cracks. Then get some thin super glue (zap is a good brand) and put some on the cracks and sand some more while the glue is wet. The glue and sanding dust will mix and fill in the cracks so well that they will be hard to see. I have used this method on rosewood and cocobolo game calls and it works very well. Just keep repeating the process until the cracks are completely filled. The glue will also keep the wood from re-cracking.You might want to finish sand using some 400 or 600 grit sandpaper depending on how smooth you want the finish.

[tostrap]

Thanks to all for the suggestions! Much appreciated... I did have the knife apart, then just pushed all the pieces back together again. I have all the different types of adhesives mentioned in the replies, but before I proceed I'll try and post some pics of the knife for any further suggestions.

Thanks again for the assistance...!

[tostrap]

Here are a couple of pics of the damage....

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

first pic - knife disassembled

second pic - crack on top

third pic - crack on bottom

thanks!

[Knipper]

Well, any of the aforementioned techniques will work for you. Epoxy, super glue etc.

I would suggest a few things however. First, get the rust off the tang of the blade before you reassemble it. Why put it back together only to have that small, narrow tang rust away and have the blade just fall out eventually. Use sandpaper or a scotch brite wheel to get back down to bare metal. Also, in addition to filling the cracks on the handle, make sure you ladle in plenty of epoxy (not super glue here...you need to fill big gaps) in the hole where the tang is. Then insert the blade. Make sure you put the retaining ring/bolster on before you snug things up. Make sure the blade is straight in the handle. Then fill in the cracks with epoxy. Since its cracked in several places, the blade will be loose unless you clamp it tight while the epoxy is setting up. I'd cut a few thin straps of leather to use as a "buffer" and then use one or more vise grips on the handle to really pull it tight against the tang. the leather will prevent vise grip marks on the wooden handle. When you get the cracks closed with the vise grips. don't touch it for a day or two...let the epoxy really set up. Then you can sand everything flush and add more epoxy to the deeper areas of the cracks later, and sand again. I don't see a retaining pin there or any holes in the tang, so this was just driven in when it was first made. Again, the manufacturers didn't foresee any one using this knife a hundred years after the fact! I hope the knife performs well for you after going to all this trouble!

Knipper

Here are a couple of pics of the damage....

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

first pic - knife disassembled

second pic - crack on top

third pic - crack on bottom

thanks!

[tostrap]

Hi Knipper

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice...

Another project to add to the bench!

Much appreciated!