A friend of mine is making a knife. He wants the handle to have a
very strong finish on it. Do you use Epoxy for that? Isnt that what
is used to put a thick clear coat on tables in bars and restaurants?
Or does epoxy get cloudy? Would several coats of poly be better. He
is a beginner so he doesnt have alot of tools or experience.

"UTRECHT" writes:

A friend of mine is making a knife. He wants the handle to have a
very strong finish on it. Do you use Epoxy for that?

I wouldn't.

?Isnt that what
is used to put a thick clear coat on tables in bars and restaurants?

Sometimes.

Or does epoxy get cloudy?

It contains no UV inhibitors so if exposed to sunlight, it fades.

Would several coats of poly be better.

Don't know if poly is a choice.

I'd be tempted to make the handles from a filled plastic and not worry about
a finish.

It certainly be more sanitary if this is a food application.

HTH


--
Lew

S/A: Challenge, The Bullet Proof Boat, (Under Construction in the Southland)
Visit: http://home.earthlink.net/~lewhodgett for Pictures

You ought to google up that information. I checked out a few knife sites
and they are really particular about the handles. They immerse the wood in
solution and sometimes put it under pressure or in a vacuum to impregnate
the wood. You might get some good ideas.

Preston
"UTRECHT" wrote in message
om...
A friend of mine is making a knife. He wants the handle to have a
very strong finish on it. Do you use Epoxy for that? Isnt that what
is used to put a thick clear coat on tables in bars and restaurants?
Or does epoxy get cloudy? Would several coats of poly be better. He
is a beginner so he doesnt have alot of tools or experience.

If you're looking for the strongest finished handle, I'd use one of
the synthetics or impregnated woods available for knife handles. I'd
also go with a full tang as opposed to a threaded tang for the blade.
(and no jokes about poon...) I would then use epoxy along with rivets
to attach the scales.

On Sat, 21 Feb 2004 01:32:40 GMT, "Preston Andreas"
wrote:

You ought to google up that information. I checked out a few knife sites
and they are really particular about the handles. They immerse the wood in
solution and sometimes put it under pressure or in a vacuum to impregnate
the wood. You might get some good ideas.

Preston
"UTRECHT" wrote in message
. com...
A friend of mine is making a knife. He wants the handle to have a
very strong finish on it. Do you use Epoxy for that? Isnt that what
is used to put a thick clear coat on tables in bars and restaurants?
Or does epoxy get cloudy? Would several coats of poly be better. He
is a beginner so he doesnt have alot of tools or experience.

If I were going to make a knife I planed to use I'd use a penatrating oil
finish that I can re-apply when needed. If the knife were strictly for show
I would consider a finish that laid on the surface of the wood and looked
all pretty
"UTRECHT" wrote in message
om...
A friend of mine is making a knife. He wants the handle to have a
very strong finish on it. Do you use Epoxy for that? Isnt that what
is used to put a thick clear coat on tables in bars and restaurants?
Or does epoxy get cloudy? Would several coats of poly be better. He
is a beginner so he doesnt have alot of tools or experience.

Jim K wrote:
also go with a full tang as opposed to a threaded tang for the blade.
(and no jokes about poon...) I would then use epoxy along with rivets
to attach the scales.

Poon might be good for a knife handle:

WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]

poon
n 1: wood of any poon tree; used for masts and spars
2: any of several East Indian trees of the genus Calophyllum
having shiny leathery leaves and lightweight hard wood

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/

On Sun, 22 Feb 2004 02:04:12 -0500, Silvan
brought forth from the murky depths:

Jim K wrote:
also go with a full tang as opposed to a threaded tang for the blade.
(and no jokes about poon...) I would then use epoxy along with rivets
to attach the scales.

Poon might be good for a knife handle:

Everyone knows that Poon tangs are too expensive.


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