All About Pocket Knives

Greetings everyone. Now that I'm retired I've been having fun rehandling old knives with disintegrating celluloid scales or broken bone scales. After quite a bit of trial and error and a lot of very useful advice, I've had some good success. However, I haven't figured out how to properly transfer the old shields to the new scales. The old broken handle scales all have a depression cut in so that the shield sits flush with the surface after it is pinned, and doesn't have an unsightly gap around the edges. Is there some tool or technique I should use so that the "depression" is cut perfectly in the new scale? Maybe some sort of "mini" router? I have tried to whittle out the necessary "depression" with various tools (like a razor blade) with pathetic results. Thanks for any and all advice!

It looks to be a tedious task. I did a search on wood inlays and found lots of tutorials. As far as a small router? I think a dremmel or similar tool is your only option.

Now that you are retired maybe you have time to make a knife shield parser. This is the way they did it in the old days.

Here is a link to a thread on AAPK that discusses it:

viewtopic.php?t=29816

I've always wanted to try to make one but with work and all my other projects just no more time.

Because of the high speed at which a Dremel tool must turn in order to be effective, I use them very little. I have a cutting disc on my Dremel tool and I use that for cutting off Mosaic pins or cutting pieces of brass or nickel silver to use for bolsters, ect.
What does work very well is a Foredom, which is a flex shaft tool and they make a drill press attachment for the Foredom. The handpiece fits in the drill press and you move it up and down with the lever like you would on any other drill press.

I have two Foredoms and I use them both. If I had a place to set up a third one I would simply because I use them multiple times in every knife I work on.

Of all the tools I purchased, the Foredom has been one of the top two or three most valuable tools in knife repair.


The Fordham tool in the drill press attachment is probably the best way to inlay shield in a wood handle. When you're dealing with wood it has grain and the grain is harder than the soft wood between the grain. When you hit a piece of the grain with the bur it will jerk the bur off course and cause you to cut where you don't want to. If you have the Foredom in the drill press attachment it will hold it nice and steady and won't jerk the bit off track when you hit a bit of grain.

Bone I sometimes do free hand, but even bone can have harder parts in it that can kick your bur off course. Learning which bur to use and how to use it on which materials is a learning curve, and you have to buy the different burs so you can learn what works best for you. The only other alternative I can think of would be to find somebody who uses the different burs and watch them as they use them. A lot of it is trial and error when you're starting out.

i use dremel brand cutters. the main trick is a steady braced hand, scribe around the shield accurately, go slow and test fit OFTEN

muskrat man wrote:i use dremel brand cutters. the main trick is a steady braced hand, scribe around the shield accurately, go slow and test fit OFTEN

Dremel Cutters are fine, I just haven't been able to find ones in the shapes that I like.

I agree with everything you said, however when you get to be my age even you're braced hand is not too steady. That's why I find the Foredom drill press so helpful.

A big exclamation point after test fit OFTEN!
That really can't be emphasized too much.

I have a 0-30,000 RPM micro motor tool for fine detail wood carving. Extra collets. My dentist saved me some used diamond drill bits. That would clean out the insert. Along with a fine V shape wood carving blade for any diamond corners. Not tried this on knives.

Thanks everyone for the great advice. Looks like a Fordom is going to be my next tool. Maybe even more than 1. Hopefully I'll have some pics to post of a successful shield inlay to post! Best regards. Herb

orvet wrote:Because of the high speed at which a Dremel tool must turn in order to be effective, I use them very little. I have a cutting disc on my Dremel tool and I use that for cutting off Mosaic pins or cutting pieces of brass or nickel silver to use for bolsters, ect.
What does work very well is a Foredom, which is a flex shaft tool and they make a drill press attachment for the Foredom. The handpiece fits in the drill press and you move it up and down with the lever like you would on any other drill press.

I have two Foredoms and I use them both. If I had a place to set up a third one I would simply because I use them multiple times in every knife I work on.

Of all the tools I purchased, the Foredom has been one of the top two or three most valuable tools in knife repair.


The Fordham tool in the drill press attachment is probably the best way to inlay shield in a wood handle. When you're dealing with wood it has grain and the grain is harder than the soft wood between the grain. When you hit a piece of the grain with the bur it will jerk the bur off course and cause you to cut where you don't want to. If you have the Foredom in the drill press attachment it will hold it nice and steady and won't jerk the bit off track when you hit a bit of grain.

Bone I sometimes do free hand, but even bone can have harder parts in it that can kick your bur off course. Learning which bur to use and how to use it on which materials is a learning curve, and you have to buy the different burs so you can learn what works best for you. The only other alternative I can think of would be to find somebody who uses the different burs and watch them as they use them. A lot of it is trial and error when you're starting out.

When you have time could you post a picture of this setup?

Let us know how the drill press works out. I have a re-handled Case knife with a spare shield.
I have tried various methods with my Dremel on a piece of wood and it has not worked out
at all. I even got some dental drill bits (thought I outsmarted myself to get the job done right)
and it was still a disaster.

Sounds like a drill press might work. Can't hurt to try!

Bob

edge213 wrote: When you have time could you post a picture of this setup?

Sure, I am setting up this evening to shoot pictures of some more knives to add my store, if I get my workbench cleaned off sufficiently I will shoot some pictures of the Foredom, handpieces, drill press and the piece of equipment and a special knife maker's vise that works very well with the drill press and folders.

If I have enough time I will post pictures tonight, if not I will try and get them posted tomorrow.

Okay, I posted some pictures of my Foredom drill press, the Foredom handpieces I use and a contour knife place that I use to hold the knife while I am inlaying the shield. It just makes it easier for me to hold on to the knife. I am old and have arthritis in my fingers and hands, you may not need the contour vise.

I posted it in the Knife Related Tutorials it is called: Foredom Drill Press And Shield Inlaying Tools
viewtopic.php?f=38&t=60485

Keep in mind I did not post this to be a tutorial on how to inlay shields just showing some of the tools I use that were asked about in this thread.

What about the shieldsthat aren’t inlayed, but have the little spikes that sink into the wood or bone or whatever. Anyone ever have any luck with those? Do you have to drill pilot holes for the spikes? I’ve never transferred a shield of this type cuz after working so hard to make everything look nice, I’m very nervous to mess it up on the very last step!

For the shields with spikes, I file the spikes off and inlay it as I normally would. If it’s a pinned shield (a shield with two pins that secure it) I drill the holes and then inlay it and peen the new pins.
Jeff

Ditto.

Personally I try to avoid it at all cost least favorite thing to do for me. But if customer insists I do as Kaleb stated.