Removing a Watanabe stock handle?

[timebard]

Hi all - I'm trying to do my first handle swap and can't get the stock ho/horn handle off a Wat Pro gyuto. There appears to be some kind of opaque glue/epoxy around part the tang, so I tried baking it for 15 minutes at 200F and pulling it off. No luck after two attempts. I also tried the wood block/hammer method with no success. If anyone who's rehandled a Wat has some trick to getting it off that'd be much appreciated.

 

[Bico Doce]

I had similar trouble with my Toyama. In the end I kept hammering on the block and it came off eventually but it was stubborn

 

[nakiriknaifuwaifu]

time to make some handle soup

 

[refcast]

If it's pva, sometimes it dissolves abit in water .... Yeah if it's glued, and you've boiled it, you gotta kill it /smash it to take it off. I've done that to 2 knives

I use a rectanglular wood stick and the floor, it's more forceful than the hammer.

 

[Smcomeaux]

I cant offer much help but I will stay tunned for the solution. I have a few wats that I want to eventually handle change.

Post your final result once you archive a successful removal!

 

[timebard]

Thanks y'all - will try the boil + hulk smash method and report back.

 

[Einco]

Would love to see a finished pic w the new handle if you have time!

 

[toddnmd]

I’ve removed a couple Wat handles, don’t remember them as particularly difficult. Maybe try 30 minutes in oven?
Perhaps he now uses stronger glue/epoxy?

 

[timebard]

Update: success! I boiled the handle for 10 minutes, after which I still couldn't pull the handle off directly as shown in some videos. But hammering on it for a few minutes did the job.

Only casualty of the effort was the handle sticker:

Next steps - rounding the choil, filing a wider slot in the new handle, and install.

 

[Carl Kotte]

How much of the success ultimately owed to hulk smash?

 

[timebard]

How much of the success ultimately owed to hulk smash?

Hulk smash was necessary but I think not sufficient. After removing the handle the glue residue was kinda gummy not hard, so I think the boiling did soften it up.

 

[tostadas]

Nice, can't wait to see the new handle you choose. The most annoying thing about rehandling my Wat was that the tang was really bent and uneven. Took quite a bit of effort for me to fix that before working on the handle itself

 

[bsfsu]

The last Watanabe's I re-handled, one came off easy with the stick and bash method, the other needed the bash and chisel.