Knife Maker's help needed!

[omarick1948]

Just received a homespun knife with a nice deer antler handle. I want to remove the antler from the blade. The blade is so, so and I want to rebuild the whole thing. How can I remove the antler....Will heating the blade do the trick, as I believe it is just epoxied on with no pins.

Wanted to ask the experts before working on it!

Thanks,
Rick

 

[robtattoo]

It depnds on whether you're intending to keep & re-use the blade. If not, have at it with a blowtorch & the epoxy should give way in a couple of minutes, but you'll ruin the temper of the blade.
If you're wanting to salvage both blade & handle a large pan of boiling water should do the trick, but it could take 15 or 20 minutes to release, depending on the epoxy used. Just drop the blade into the water & let it boil. Try & keep the antler out of the water as best you can. Boiling it for that length of time could cause it to soften.
Hope this helps!

 

[LRB]

That would be worth a try, unless the epoxy happens to be J&B WELD.

 

[omarick1948]

Well fella's I got it off!...I took my hot air gun and just slowly ran it back and forth around the blades hilt. Didn't take much heat!

Thanks for responding,
Rick

 

[paulvallandigham]

Next time, put the blade in the bare jaws of your bench vise, and the vise will act as a "heat sink", protecting the blade from discoloring, or losing its temper. Smaller blades can be held in vise grips, which will perform the same function.
:thumbsup: