Replacing stacked leather knife handle?

[FairWeather]

I have an old Schrade Walden hunting knife who’s handle a previous owner slathered in JB weld. Admittedly, it functions fine as is, but it’s butt ugly. I’d like to replace the whole handle, but have no idea how to get the original one off.

Does anyone have experience with replacing a stacked leather knife handle? Any advice on where to start, or even if it’s a project worth the effort? If it’s going to be very costly and a huge PITA, I’ll just leave it as is.

 

[NMGuy]

Got any pictures of the butt of the knife so we can see how that butt cap is held on? NDGuy and Hornet might have some ideas.

If you're looking to replace it with leather, you can buy the pieces from a knife supply company. Jantz sells a pack of 16 pieces for $6.50. You'll need some epoxy as well, so the project wouldn't be very expensive. My main concern would be reattaching that butt cap. There will be a metal tang inside that handle, so I would think you could cut/chip most of that leather off. Could also soak it in acetone to see if that dissolves the epoxy.

Alternative would be to replace the stacked leather with wood or a composite material like G10 or Micarta.

 

[FairWeather]

Got any pictures of the butt of the knife so we can see how that butt cap is held on? NDGuy and Hornet might have some ideas.

If you're looking to replace it with leather, you can buy the pieces from a knife supply company. Jantz sells a pack of 16 pieces for $6.50. You'll need some epoxy as well, so the project wouldn't be very expensive. My main concern would be reattaching that butt cap. There will be a metal tang inside that handle, so I would think you could cut/chip most of that leather off. Could also soak it in acetone to see if that dissolves the epoxy.

Alternative would be to replace the stacked leather with wood or a composite material like G10 or Micarta.

I’m not married to the idea of a leather replacement, any material would be ok with me. Antler would be rad, but I imagine that comes with its own list of difficulties to work it.

 

[Addicting]

I know a veteran who does it. He has restored many Kbar knives and built several hundred others. JJ is a good dude with some good forging skills.

TripleJknives.net

 

[elkantlers]

Just dig into it. It would be a fun DIY project.
There are multiple YouTube videos that show how it's done.

 

[FairWeather]

Just dig into it. It would be a fun DIY project.
There a multiple YouTube video that show how it's done.

That’s what I’m hoping to do. Trouble is I can’t figure out how to get the dang pommel off.

 

[elkantlers]

If you can cut or grind the old leather off you may be able to get something on there and pound it off. You Will probably have to dremel the tang where it has been peened. Just be careful and take the minimum amount off because you will have to have enough material to peen it later to fasten the butt ennd back on. You can clamp the blade in a vise using some wood to protect it. That will give you some options for removing the handle.

 

[Addicting]

If you can cut or grind the old leather off you may be able to get something on there and pound it off. You Will probably have to dremel the tang where it has been peened. Just be careful and take the minimum amount off because you will have to have enough material to peen it later to fasten the butt ennd back on. You can clamp the blade in a vise using some wood to protect it. That will give you some options for removing the handle.

This but don’t dremel it, use heat and get it orange where it’s peened. Then just tap it off from where the leather was.


Biggest problem you are going to have is grinding the new leather down. Without the proper belt set up and plenty of experience you are likely going to be doing this over and over till you figure it out.

That’s where a knife maker like JJ comes in handy. For what you’re going to spend in learning he can do and ship it back to you faster.

 

[FairWeather]

This but don’t dremel it, use heat and get it orange where it’s peened. Then just tap it off from where the leather was.


Biggest problem you are going to have is grinding the new leather down. Without the proper belt set up and plenty of experience you are likely going to be doing this over and over till you figure it out.

That’s where a knife maker like JJ comes in handy. For what you’re going to spend in learning he can do and ship it back to you faster.

Thanks for the pointers! Figure IF I do it myself, I’d use wood rather than leather, then just slowly rasp it into shape. As nice as the leather looks and feels, I just watched a video of someone doing it, and it looks like a right PITA.

 

[NMGuy]

Do you have an angle grinder and a welder? If so, this job could be done quite easily. To keep the through tang, cut off where the butt cap is and weld a piece of all thread to the end of the tang. Make a new butt cap from brass or mild steel and drill/tap it to match the all thread. That would give you a mechanical fastener to hold the handle on.

Alternative would be to ditch that butt cap and do a hidden tang instead of a through tang. Basically, cut off the butt cap then use wood or micarta for a full handle. Micarta is much harder to shape and work with, but gets grippy when wet and doesn't crack. You could either run without a pin (lot of guys wouldn't' recommend on a hunting knife) or you could temper the tang down soft enough to drill a hole for a pin. You would need a torch for this.

-Guy

 

[6mm Remington]

https://www.kylenoseworthy.com/custom-work

[email protected]

It says on his site that he prefers direct contact with clients and it says email him.

Kyle Noseworthy up in Newfoundland Canada has video's he posts on YouTube that you should check out. You can watch him repair/refurbish knives like yours that would give you some great tips on how to proceed. He also does this type of work in his shop. I have no idea how much it would cost, but he seems like a reasonable guy. Might be worth checking it out.

David

 

[6mm Remington]

 

[FairWeather]

Do you have an angle grinder and a welder? If so, this job could be done quite easily. To keep the through tang, cut off where the butt cap is and weld a piece of all thread to the end of the tang. Make a new butt cap from brass or mild steel and drill/tap it to match the all thread. That would give you a mechanical fastener to hold the handle on.

Alternative would be to ditch that butt cap and do a hidden tang instead of a through tang. Basically, cut off the butt cap then use wood or micarta for a full handle. Micarta is much harder to shape and work with, but gets grippy when wet and doesn't crack. You could either run without a pin (lot of guys wouldn't' recommend on a hunting knife) or you could temper the tang down soft enough to drill a hole for a pin. You would need a torch for this.

-Guy

No, I don’t have a welder or angle grinder :/ I do have a punch set and a hammer, though.

I foubd this video, as far as I can tell it’s the same knife. Looked like they just used a punch to knock the tang out of the butt cap. Would that work, or is there something I don’t know that they did first?

 

[NMGuy]

Hammer and punches should do it. It's interesting that there's a hole in the tang but no pin.

 

[FairWeather]

Hammer and punches should do it. It's interesting that there's a hole in the tang but no pin.

Hadn’t thought about that. I suppose I could try the hidden tang method and pin it through that hole. If nothing else, I like having a built in contingency plan.

 

[NMGuy]

Hadn’t thought about that. I suppose I could try the hidden tang method and pin it through that hole. If nothing else, I like having a built in contingency plan.

Hitting a pre-drilled hole you can't see is going to be quite a challenge.

If you want a hidden tang, temper down that tang with a torch (goal is to get a blue-ish color) and drill the hole once you get the new handle fitted up. Alternative option is a carbide drill bit, but if you break it off in the handle you'll have a whole new problem. If you decide to temper the tang, put the blade in a cup of water with only the tang exposed. This will help you avoid ruining the blade itself.

Whatever method you choose to use, I would suggest some epoxy on that tang to fill in any voids and help things be nice and snug.