All Things Handles

[wadebevan]

Hey All,
I just wanted to get another thread going on things related to handles, methods of attaching handles... all things handles.

My first questions: 
where do you get your corby bolts or other handle hardware?
what is your favorite(s) handle materials?
what would you think is the best material for daily kitchen use?

Designing my next knife, and would like to start doing things proper instead of just making things up.

Thanks,
TW.

[Rupert Lucius]

Hey All,
I just wanted to get another thread going on things related to handles, methods of attaching handles... all things handles.

My first questions: 
where do you get your corby bolts or other handle hardware?
what is your favorite(s) handle materials?
what would you think is the best material for daily kitchen use?

Designing my next knife, and would like to start doing things proper instead of just making things up.

Thanks,
TW.

Have never made a knife - unable to respond to your first two questions.

Question  three:

Mark Reich's 52100 blade (with his heat treat) if he made or makes kitchen knives.

CPM S35VN

440C

The original Chicago Cutlery of the 1960's and 1970's (what ever the steel is or was).  Not the Walmart edition of today.

[Mark Reich]

Thank you for your endorsement Mr. Rupert! 52100 is a wonderful steel, and about the closest thing we have to Japanese White steel.

I haven't gotten around to making many kitchen knives yet, but I can tell you for sure that I will be making world class Japanese kitchen knives. My $9,000 order of laminated Aogami Super Blue is in route, straight from Japan! 

This is quite a coup! It's dang near impossible to get any Hitachi steel from Japan, but a great friend has just enough pull from his dealings with Japanese water stones to make this happen. I've been working on this with him for years. Honestly, I don't know of anyone besides Murray Carter that has the ability to source any steel from Japan.

Sorry to wander slightly off topic there, but I'm just super excited about it whenever I think of kitchen knives.   

Wade, there are several knife supply companies that carry just about anything related to knives. Except Hitachi steel. 

I've become used to getting miscellaneous supplies from Jantz. I know the people who work there from visiting them at the Atlanta Blade Show, and they are super kind and professional. Everything is in stock, and I get orders quickly.

Handle material encompases many things. Liner material- Fiber liner is traditional, and has been in use approximately forever. It's easy to work with, and it's friendly with all handle material. Newer materials are G10 and vinyl. Both are impermeable, so they are harder to bond, but being impermeable also means they don't get dingy like fiber liner. The colors remain brilliant. 

Adhesives are super critical, especially with impermeable handle material. The gold standard adhesive is Acra-Glass epoxy from Brownells. It's extremely versatile, as it can be tinted with regular acrylic paint tint from any place that sells paint. You can also use the dust from sanding whatever material you use for the handle, which generally means invisible repair of imperfections. Use Acra-Glass solvent to thin the epoxy almost to water consistency without impinging adhesion or strength. It can be used as a very durable clear finish this way as well. Brownells sells powdered aluminum and powdered stainless steel to thicken and strengthen the epoxy. Clean up of your work is easy with Acra-Glass solvent, or acetone for hands, tools etc. 

I love the modern two part adhesives from Loctite. I use 324 and 330. Put adhesive on one surface, and activator on the other. Clamp time is minimal, like just a few minutes, so you have to plan ahead. Clean up is difficult, but bonding strength is incredible. Jewelers use it to affix diamonds and other precious material.

Corbys, Loveless bolts and pin stock come in stainless, sterling and brass, in different sizes. Get the right drill/countersink when you get your Corbys and Loveless bolts. The most popular size has 1/4" heads, but I like 3/16" better. Corbys look better than Loveless, but you have to be a lot more careful with Corbys. Lots of guys use Loveless, then graduate to Corbys.

Pin stock comes in 1/16", 3/32 and 1/8". I use 3/32" the most. Somehow I ended up with some 2mm stock, which should be avoided. I just grind them down to 3/32" because 3/32" carbide bits are common, as are taper reamers. Taper reamers allow for more secure pins, but add a level of difficulty for peening. I use pins far more than anything else.

Handle material is almost limitless. I probably have over $15,000 worth right now, in about 50 different flavors. Every year I find something I've never seen at Blade. In fact, that's one of the main reasons I attend. Now I have many friends to find each year, and I do much of my shopping before the doors open to the public.

I'm very fortunate to have met the man behind Kirinite before any other knife makers I know of. Raj is a dear friend, and I absolutely love Kirinite. It's certainly one of the easiest materials to work with, and one of the best. It's great for kitchen knives, as it's impervious to anything I've thrown at it. It was designed to remain grippy in wet, sweaty or bloody hands. Even though it easily takes a deep gloss finish, moisture actually makes it grippier. 

I have plenty to share, in many patterns and hues. Even 1/8" thick glow in the dark, which is super cool under the more opaque patterns of Kirinite.

[wadebevan]

As always, thanks for the info Mark!
If you end up with too much of that Aogami super, let me know and I will swing by and get some
(Though I would be terrified to do anything with it)

And on a serious note, if you end up making kitchen knives out of some of it, let me know as I would like to put my bid in for at least one.

The Kirinite looks pretty cool, but a bit on the thin side for the beefy handles I like on my kitchen knives.
My assumption is that you can stack it with adhesive?

What adhesives do you use on the Kirinite?

[Mark Reich]

I'll try to keep the forum current, and post more pictures.

I use Loctite 324 between Kirinite because it's thinner than 330, but I use 330 to stick it to steel or vinyl.

I like the overall properties of Kirinite for working knives. It's durable and easy to use and maintain. It meets my minimum requirements for synthetic material beyond G10 for sure, but it's not in the league of natural material.



These two popular patterns just left. The oddity in the corby is a reflection of something. I need to get the photo shop set up. 

[grepper]

I really like the general shape of your knives.  They remind me of Bob Kramer's stuff.  Not a big fan of full bolsters though, but only because it's extra work to sharpen them!

Oh, BTW, ever use Aeropoxy epoxy?  I've found that stuff to be extremely tough and reliable.  Never tried it on a knife handle though, other than filling in old handles that have started to pull away from the blade.

[Mark Reich]

Thank you, grepper!

Do you mean the thicker steel behind the plunge line? That's a ten second adjustment to me. It's much stronger than adding a sharpening choil.

If anything about my knives troubles you, just send it in for a tune up. I get them back in Priority mail within 24 hrs.

And it's free. You just pay postage to get it to me.

[grepper]

I'm talking about where the edge meets the heel. Where the bolster extends to the edge of the blade.

For a general use knife it doesn't really matter, but for a kitchen knife that needs have the blade edge be flat against a cutting board, once it's sharpened the edge can become lower and the heel, and the heel will have to be ground away so the blade can lay flat again.

Not a big deal to do really, and it only matters with kitchen knives.

[wadebevan]

For Henkels and Wustofs, I grind that part off about 1/4" back for that exact reason.

[Rupert Lucius]

For Henkels and Wustofs, I grind that part off about 1/4" back for that exact reason.

With this knife design (no bolster) there is no bolster to deal with:

http://store.warthercutlery.com/7-french-chef-knife/

The Warther family makes knives that are a joy to sharpen.

Rupert