Handle Restoration for Kabar #1128
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 12:53 am
In April, a gentleman at the OKCA show brought a Kabar #1128 to my table and asked me could fix it by putting new handles on it.
The rear handle was cracked at the pen and there was some shrinkage in the front handle especially around the sharpening stone.
He said I don't want the stone or any shield back on the knife, just plain bone handles but not white handles and not textured handles. I knew I had a set of ivory colored bone handles and he thought that would be fine.
I told him it would be the end of the summer before I was done with them and I was really rather surprised to find out that is not even mid August and I have it finished in spite of two surgeries. I was really pleased that! (My how easily we are amused when we get old!).
I believe this knife was made on contract by Camillus because it was constructed using the post method. A piece of yellow composition was extruded through a hole at either end of the liner and when it hardened and was cut flush with the inside of the liner it held the handle very tightly to the liner. I had to pry a it apart to get the handle off.
I thought I had more before pictures showing the post-construction but apparently I don't.
I thought this handle was Delrin, but given the shrinkage around the stone on the mark side I am not sure that this was indeed Delrin.
Here are some shots of the finished knife. Sorry I couldn't find the other before pictures.
The rear handle was cracked at the pen and there was some shrinkage in the front handle especially around the sharpening stone.
He said I don't want the stone or any shield back on the knife, just plain bone handles but not white handles and not textured handles. I knew I had a set of ivory colored bone handles and he thought that would be fine.
I told him it would be the end of the summer before I was done with them and I was really rather surprised to find out that is not even mid August and I have it finished in spite of two surgeries. I was really pleased that! (My how easily we are amused when we get old!).
I believe this knife was made on contract by Camillus because it was constructed using the post method. A piece of yellow composition was extruded through a hole at either end of the liner and when it hardened and was cut flush with the inside of the liner it held the handle very tightly to the liner. I had to pry a it apart to get the handle off.
I thought I had more before pictures showing the post-construction but apparently I don't.
I thought this handle was Delrin, but given the shrinkage around the stone on the mark side I am not sure that this was indeed Delrin.
Here are some shots of the finished knife. Sorry I couldn't find the other before pictures.