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Knife Restorations


knifelover
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knifelover

i'm sorry martyb, i'm just noticing you reinstalled the original handle....nice work on salvaging that!  i have a KA-bar with new leather washers i want to put the grooves into but i'm not sure how to get them to look as good as some of the rehandle jobs i've seen

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Misfit 45
4 hours ago, knifelover said:

i'm sorry martyb, i'm just noticing you reinstalled the original handle....nice work on salvaging that!  i have a KA-bar with new leather washers i want to put the grooves into but i'm not sure how to get them to look as good as some of the rehandle jobs i've seen

 

Knifelover, On my M3 handle, I used the edge of a metal file.  Since I could see the edge of the leather washers, I carefully followed a parallel course around the handle. In the picture, you will notice the rough edges, and roughness in the grooves.  To remove this roughness, I used a wooden chop stick to polish the grooves. This smooths the grooves quite nicely. 

On a MK2, unlike the M3, you have rounded grooves so you'll have to use a file with some kind of rounded edge.  Good luck.

Marv

IMG_1135.JPG

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Misfit45, nice tight stack job. Can I give you a suggestion to try on your groove smoothing. Try a a leather lace or a good nylon shoe string and stroke it around a few times. I usually wait until the finishing process to do this, but that is me. A round edged flat file is the way to go, yes. 

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knifelover

well i finished up the kabar 1205 rehandle i had posted before pics of earlier.  here she is with the new handle and pommel made from scratch.

Kabar 1205 - 2.jpg

Kabar 1205 - 5.jpg

Kabar 1205 - 6.jpg

Kabar 1205 - 8.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...
VNAMVET70
On 3/25/2024 at 4:15 AM, knifelover said:

Opseccc, what was your method of cleaning because you did a fantastic job also? That mark 1 looks amazing.

knifelover, Check out "Knife Polishing Guide for Beginners". Has good information on buffing wheels, compounds, accessories, and typical step-by- step procedures....http:knifemaking.com/pages/knife-polishing-guide    

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knifelover

Thank you VNAMVET70, that is a very informative link!  I have spent a fair amount of time experimenting with different buffing combinations and that site helps you cut to the chase.

 

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knifelover

I finally decided to refinish a beat up Mark II that i had in my possession.  I bought it off eBay a few years back.  Someone had started a rehandle job on the knife but hadn't glued the washers or shaped the leather into a finished handle...

Kabar USMC Mark II - 4 (post 1976).jpg

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knifelover

After removing the handle i decided to sandblast the blade to remove the beat up powder coating

20240410_202324.jpg

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knifelover

I used Cold Blue to put a finish back on the blade and made a finger guard and pommel out of brass.  Then I stacked and glued everything back on the tang using black G10 for spacer material.

20240413_121238.jpg

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knifelover
On 3/27/2024 at 12:13 AM, Misfit 45 said:

Knifelover, On my M3 handle, I used the edge of a metal file.  Since I could see the edge of the leather washers, I carefully followed a parallel course around the handle. In the picture, you will notice the rough edges, and roughness in the grooves.  To remove this roughness, I used a wooden chop stick to polish the grooves. This smooths the grooves quite nicely. 

 

 

On 3/27/2024 at 9:00 AM, martyb said:

Misfit45, nice tight stack job. Can I give you a suggestion to try on your groove smoothing. Try a a leather lace or a good nylon shoe string and stroke it around a few times. I usually wait until the finishing process to do this, but that is me. A round edged flat file is the way to go, yes. 

I shaped the handle and then I followed Misfit 45's tip and used the leather washers to figure out my spacing and give me a file guide, and martyb's advice using a shoelace to burnish the grooves after they were cut.  Then I treated the handle with mink oil.  

20240415_000406.jpg

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knifelover

Finally i replaced the rivets on the sheath with brass rivets to complement the brass fittings on the handle

Kabar USMC Mark II - 4b (post 1976).jpg

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knifelover

here are the two kabars i just finished side by side...

20240415_063202.jpg

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