Knife handle question

[davebozell]

I recently bought this old knife blank.  My intention was to put an antler handle on it, but now that I have the two parts in my hands, I am questioning exactly how to put them together.

 


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The knife "tang" is so high, that I am afraid it will break through whatever I drill into.  I'm hoping someone has dealt with a blank like this before and has a good method for me.  Thanks in advance for all your help.

[Pukka Bundook]

Morning Dave,

I'd drill into your piece of antler like this;

Rubbish drawing on my part, but hope you get the idea.
Drill can be a bit larger than the tang if you want,  and Once tang is fitted, it can be filled up with cutler's resin or epoxy. (stained)

ATB,

Richard.

[Hungry Horse]

Blades of this sort are designed to be hafted with a tapered grip. Either a tapered piece of antler, or a nicely turned hardwood grip. The butt is often covered with a metal cap. Most often the tang of the knife is drawn square at the butte do, so when it exits the cap through a corresponding square hole, it can be upset with a few hammer taps. This keeps the grip from rotating. The void around the tang within the grip was filled with boiled pitch ( this was the case well into the 20th century). This facilitated the removal and repair of the grip if damaged ( epoxy does not), by simply heating the grip until the pitch melted. It also sealed the interior of the grip, and minimized rusting of the shank.
 This blade style is most often encountered in areas where there was a Spanish influence.

  Hungry Horse

[Pukka Bundook]

Hungry Horse,

If warmed, epoxy comes apart very well. No need for real high heat.
Cutler's resin was The main product used, and when set, it stays set.  Alum can also be used, but a pick is needed if you want it off again.

Best regards,
R.

[davebozell]

Thank you both.  Looks like the antler handle I have in mind will work after all.  Drilling at an angle hadn't occurred to me, but makes perfect sense when you draw it out.

[Natureboy]

  I make pitch glue, the "super glue of the woods," with 4 parts pitch, and 1 part each ground charcoal and ground,dried deer or elk dung (well refined plant fiber).  You can collect the pitch from conifer trees, but it tends to come with chunks of bark.  To cheat a bit, I buy rosin in cans from the local ballet dance supply (I'm sure you all know where your local ballet shop is), and it's pure.  Charcoal is something we all have, but for those who don't burn wood, you can get charcoal from pet stores that have aquarium supplies.  None of my local stores stock dried dung on a regular basis, so I collect that (it also makes nice beads when dried and coated with verathane).  Melt the pitch, and stir in the sifted dry ingredients.  I collect it on the end of a stick, and it sets up almost immediately.  It's also good for hafting arrowheads, and for use as a campfire accelerant.  It's easy to melt it and dribble it into whatever void you want to fill, either with a heat gun or by simply starting it burning.

[hanshi]

I have two very old carbon steel butcher knives with that same identical blade profile.  I'm also working to put an antler handle of one of them.  My job should be easier than yours; the tangs are flat.  But this was good info that should be helpful with mine.

[Elnathan]

Old fashioned cutler's epoxy is pine pitch with a bit of beeswax and a pinch of brick dust. Chuck Burrow's recipe was 5 parts pitch, 1 part beeswax, and some brick dust - one recipe I've found posted has as much as 1 part binder, but IIRC I just used a small amount of dust when I made up mine.

[Natureboy]

  Cutler's epoxy might be more flexible than the pitch-charcoal-dung version.  You can adjust the proportions of the latter with different amounts of the dry ingredients, depending on how the glue is used.  The ingredients of Cutler's epoxy are certainly easier to obtain--no need to chase deer and elk around with your open bag.

[Black Hand]

Old fashioned cutler's epoxy is pine pitch with a bit of beeswax and a pinch of brick dust. Chuck Burrow's recipe was 5 parts pitch, 1 part beeswax, and some brick dust - one recipe I've found posted has as much as 1 part binder, but IIRC I just used a small amount of dust when I made up mine.

The recipe I use contains beeswax, pitch and finely powdered charcoal.

[davebozell]

I finally had a chance to put the handle on this knife.  Drilling at an angle as Pukka described worked great.  I used a little leather dye for some highlights.  Do I need to do anything to seal the antler?  Thanks for everyone's help.

[Stoner creek]

Nice looking piece. Very authentic old timey look! I never seal my handles after stain.

[alyce-james]

Sir; your project turned out very well. Nice job looks great. Have a great day. AJ.

[Top Jaw]

You might also consider taking down some of what remains of a brow time and a few of the other rougher nodules on the right side, to make the grip more comfortable.

[will payne]

Now that's what I call a knife.

[Tim Crosby]

 Do I need to do anything to seal the antler? 

 Unless you get down into the Pith, the soft porous part you don't have to do anything to Antler. It is
pretty tough stuff, I would imagine you could hit that handle with a hammer and it would not hurt it.
 I would file back some of those nodes like Top Jaw suggested, just to make it more comfortable to handle. I might have missed it, how long is that blade? Looks like it would made a Good daily user in the kitchen.
 Thanks for the follow-up.

  Tim C.

[davebozell]

I thought about taking down the nodes, but they land between my fingers and help me orient the knife a little better, so I decided to keep them.  The blade is about 9 inches long, and probably was a kitchen knife when it was made.   The blade is marked J. M. Schmid and Son, Providence RI.  They were in business from 1857 through 1964.  They also made folding knives, and imported straight razors.

[hanshi]

Your results are excellent, masterful work.

[Shreckmeister]

Blades of this sort are designed to be hafted with a tapered grip. Either a tapered piece of antler, or a nicely turned hardwood grip. The butt is often covered with a metal cap. Most often the tang of the knife is drawn square at the butte do, so when it exits the cap through a corresponding square hole, it can be upset with a few hammer taps. This keeps the grip from rotating. The void around the tang within the grip was filled with boiled pitch ( this was the case well into the 20th century). This facilitated the removal and repair of the grip if damaged ( epoxy does not), by simply heating the grip until the pitch melted. It also sealed the interior of the grip, and minimized rusting of the shank.
 This blade style is most often encountered in areas where there was a Spanish influence.

  Hungry Horse

Great info.