TF after repair and sharpening

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valdim said:
Thanks a lot for the opinions guys. I feel I am guided in a very nice, positive way and it is really helpful.
All your arguments against re-handling are reasonable. And I am a person of reasoning.
I asked myself today "Why the heck you really want to change the handle?" And I came to the answer that I dont like the black color...I am into the vivid colors, and if it is between black and white, I would prefer white. I perceive the cooking and kitchen tools with joy, pleasant moments, a nice game to play...Where is the black in this?
Hm...Tough to decide.
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Life is too short to use an ugly knife in my opinion. So I vote go ahead and replace the handle as long as you understand it is not inexpensive. It takes a good amount of time and labor to do it properly as mentioned already.
 
valdim said:
Thanks a lot for the opinions guys. I feel I am guided in a very nice, positive way and it is really helpful.
All your arguments against re-handling are reasonable. And I am a person of reasoning.
I asked myself today "Why the heck you really want to change the handle?" And I came to the answer that I dont like the black color...I am into the vivid colors, and if it is between black and white, I would prefer white. I perceive the cooking and kitchen tools with joy, pleasant moments, a nice game to play...Where is the black in this?
Hm...Tough to decide.
Click to expand...
I strongly advise you to rehandle if you dislike the current.
Likewise I think spend as much as you need/can afford as you got a steal.
 
OK...I made the step.
I met a guy from a local knife forum, initially to give him a Ochsenkopf axe for repair and rehandling...We talked and I decided to hand him also the TF knife. One of the hardest decisions in my life :haironfire: (Joking)
Well, the guy invited me to his worshop and showed me several wood blocks. I chose bokote (or bUcote)...Very nice structure, that we discussed would appear on both sides of the handle.
Now, another dilemma - to stabilize or not to stabilize (that is the question)...He said stabilizing would make the wood in the darker red shade, while making it even more stable against moisture. I doubt it would face moisture while this knife is with me, but who knows...May be one day I decide to sell? Non-stabilized wood would stay lighter in color, and I am into this...
I hope Mr. Dalman would give an insight or just opinion. Others are welcome, ofc.
Pics will follow.
 
Are you talking about bocote? Like the striped wood in the pic below?
1RYJ6QT.jpg


I've made knives with bocote in the handle (above pic is one of them) and all were natural wood, not stabilized. If the wood is well seasoned or kiln dried, then usually it should be fine to use without stabilization. If the wood is still drying or green/wet, then that's when you'll have issues with it possibly shrinking and/or cracking after the rehandle is done.

Bocote is relatively hard and waxy/oily so should hold up decently on a kitchen knife. I still finish the wood with an oil/varnish product like Birchwood Casey Tru Oil or Watco Tung Oil Finish, and I believe Robin likes Danish oil finish because it doesn't darken the wood as much as some other oil finishes. It could also be finished with a cyanoacrylate glue finish. The finish will help seal the wood to discourage water infiltration.
 
milkbaby said:
Are you talking about bocote?
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Yes, bocote. It was reddish and stripped like from your pic.
milkbaby said:
If the wood is well seasoned or kiln dried, then usually it should be fine to use without stabilization.
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It was a thick block or more like a board block. It seemed it is sourced from a professional wood seller. I assume that means it is dry. I beleive to my craftman, he is one of the best in the country and I am sure he is also an honest person. That's my impression.
 
I received the ironwood piece today. Tomorrow it will travel to the craftman.
The texture is gorgeous! And the wood itself feels heavy and dence. I made some pics to show the curves of the texture.
A thought to put it in water and see if it would sink passed through my mind, but I dont want to magae it, before it is treated with oil...
I am glad I selected ironwood finally. Now everything is in the hands of the craftman.
 

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Hello guys!
I have a question, which I asked also the re-handler (correct word?) - what is needed to be done so that after changing the black hardwood handle with ironwood handle, we have the same great balance between handle and blade?
I would be happy if those who have made re-handling share insights on this...

And one more question - the exact measures of the block are 123.40/43.24/29.23 mm. The original handle measures are as per the attached pics. In my opinion, there would remain an excesive smaller block with size 123.40/43.24/xx.xx. Am I right and if yes - can it be useful? May be for rehandling a smaller/folding knife?
I would appreciate your comment.
 

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It is better to have more wood than needed. I have used left overs for a folder. A folder can easy use scrap wood as it is very thin and small.
 
Carl Kotte said:
It certainly took me like 5-6 hours to make a western handle for my Sabatier blank. But then I’m terrible at these things and I have primitive equipment. That said, it’s fun. And if you’re not too hard on yourself, you might even come to like the result!
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Hey Carl, I think I saw you posting some stuff about the process of this, but can't find it now. Have you got a link?

(Sorry for momentarily derailing the thread Valdim!)
 
You will not have much extra wood left after rehandling. When you saw a piece of wood, you will lose some of it from the kerf. Your block is small, and if I were making the handle, I might not saw any off and just grind the excess which would only produce sawdust, no cutoffs.
 
milkbaby said:
You will not have much extra wood left after rehandling. When you saw a piece of wood, you will lose some of it from the kerf. Your block is small, and if I were making the handle, I might not saw any off and just grind the excess which would only produce sawdust, no cutoffs.
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I got it, milkbaby
 
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