New Pairing/Petty Knife Handle

Here's the handle I just finished shaping/sanding on a new petty/pairing knife I am working on.

nice taper on the handle, what is the material micarta linen?

Natural canvas micarta with a red vulcanized spacer. In future handles I will be using G10 or micarta spacers as the research that I've done on lines has told me that vulcanized spacers can shrink over time.

Pete that's some nice fitment you got there and the shaping/finishing looks great too.

Yeah vulcanized spacer material can shrink and can also swell when it gets wet. FWIW I tested just about everything available to the knifemaker and they all failed except G10.

I forgot to mention that G10 has a couple of negatives as does everything. First is that it ruins saw blades, even bi-metal. Second is that the colors don't show from the edges which is what we want for liners so using anything other than black, white, and gray is going to give crappy results.

Looks awesome Pete. 1st rate.

I like it. Very nice sir

Thanks guys looking guys and Dave, thanks for the heads up about G10 as a liner material. Does anyone know what Bob Loveless used for his famous red liners on his knives?

stereo.pete said:

Thanks guys looking guys and Dave, thanks for the heads up about G10 as a liner material. Does anyone know what Bob Loveless used for his famous red liners on his knives?

Click to expand...

Vulcanized fiber.

By using canvas micarta, you've chosen Bob's favorite material for knife handles. He was partial to green though.

Looking good, Pete, keep up the top notch work. :ubersexy:

Hey Pete, you can somewhat stabilize vulcanized liner material by filling the edges with a thin CA glue just before finishing. This will leave the fibers filled and resistant to water absorption and shrinkage, keep things lines up. The two issues here are to not remove too much while removing the over flow of glue because then you'll expose the liners again and also this might be better used for a non-kitchen knife that doesn't have it's handle washed often as you're just asking for water exposure regardless of it being sealed or not. Still though it's an option that's better than nothing.

Good to know Dave, I use this one as a test knife before I make more kitchen knife handles with the fiber.

She's finished and hell, she even cuts and shaves arm hair. Not bad for knife #3, especially considering the first two I made last year were better off as pry bars.

Nice job, Pete. Well done.

Looks good


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Thanks for the kind words guys! Well, I've used it in the kitchen a few times and I have to say that it cuts well. Not as good as my Konosuke White #2 petty, but then again I haven't been making knives for generations. It feels amazing working with a tool that performs well that I made with my own two hands. I've never really felt this way before and I LOVE it! :bliss:

Great job, Pete! Can't wait see more of your progress.

Nice, Pete! When's the pass around?

Good job Pete. I like it. Btw, is that handle taper something that just fits your hands and you like? Handle shapes always intrigue me. It's like a pair of jeans, everyone has their favorite. I also love micarta as handle material.

k.

K.

The handle design was inspired from a few different knives I have laying around the house. The shape works well as a petty/pairing handle and the taper is comfortable in several styles of grips, although I have not had to peel a box of potatoes or apples, so I am unsure about long term usage. I'm still in the very early stages of learning how to shape handles and so I am experimenting with different styles.

Here's a few more images to get a better idea of the shapes involved.

Looks pretty darn good, Pete!

I like it. Keep it up!

Looks professional Pete.

Looking great!

Love seeing the work, thanks for posting it

Thanks guys!