The Evolution of a Handle Maker

The very first knife that I rehandled (for money) came back to me to get the handle trimmed down. The owner's wife has taken a liking to the knife but disliked the wide rear end it has. Early on I used to make the butt end(s) pretty wide (doing so because of lack of knowledge) and on this particular handle the owner had specifically asked for wideness in the butt so he got it as that's all I knew anyway.

So here's the evolution of my handle making caught in pictures. Actually it's not completely accurate as I use small diameter pins these days and different liner material but it does show how I've changed the shape, contours, and finish in subtle ways.

BTW, all of the "old" pictures were taken when the handle was first done way back when.




One of the major changes (although it really barely shows) is how I've changed the way I shape finger wrap relief on the underside of the beak (?) of the tang. This feature does more for handle comfort than anything I've seen or experimented with.






I threw these bonus shots in for the owner....

 

It is fun to see how your skills can evolve through use and just having something click to make you say, 'why don't I try this?' Then it works and we move on and we are that much greater for it!

 

Wow, awesome stuff, Dave! It is a beautiful handle, for sure. What material did you use for the scales?

 

It must be fun to go back to your earlier works and compare with now. Very nice pictures!

 

I don't know, it was so long (years) ago. I'll guess maple.

 

Looking good David!