There are 12 main steps that you have to follow to make a Bowie knife handle using multiple materials. A perfect grip for these knife handles can be achieved by selecting the best material that suits the user.
Throughout this article, we will discuss the basic steps involved in making the Bowie knife handles with these special materials. Thus, make sure you follow the steps exactly in order to get the best grip on your knives.
Several methods have been developed to create highly durable and attractive Bowie knife handle designs. As the methods for converting a product into a handle or cover use similar materials and tools, there are some differences in the methods they use to accomplish this task.
During the Bowie knife handle manufacturing process, we will guide you through the most basic steps. Ensure that you don’t miss any step, otherwise, your handles will be weak and ineffective.
1. Gather the Materials
The first and most important step in this Bowie knife handle material is to choose the best materials. Start by selecting a well-composed Bowie knife with brass and handguard, a specific plastic material, PVC glue products, and the main material that you want to use to make these knife handles.
You must use high-quality materials. This ensures that all sharp details on them can last for a long time. You should also take into consideration checking the glues, as if they are not good, they can easily damage the materials of the knife handle.
2. Select the Suitable Tools
The tools have a certain significance in this knife handle composition process. As the users have to customize the main materials continuously to shape them according to their knife handles for proper adjustments.
You can choose leather materials such as Faux leather, Suede, or any other fabric as your material. Then, select a sharp knife, a strong hammer, sandpapers, some nails or screws, sanding belts, and hole-punching instruments to proceed forward in this process with perfection.
3. Outline the Handle’s Size & Shape
After selecting the safe and versatile tools and materials for this process, you have to outline the knife handle’s shape and size. For this task, we recommend you use any permanent marker that does not fade when exposed to the sun or water.
Thus, to make a Bowie knife handle, All you need to do is outline the shapes and designs of the knife handles using the main materials. In this way, you will be able to easily make covers for the knife handles based on the measurements.
4. Cut the Materials
Now you have the proper size and shape of your knife handles, you just need to cut these materials into two main pieces. By stacking the thin handles on top of each other, you will be able to create a thick handle shape that will help you handle things.
But make sure to get a proper handle shape closed from all ends. You can also add multiple layers of these materials in this stack in case you want them to be thicker and densely gripped.
5. Punch Holes in the Materials
This step is known as the main foundation of the process upon which the Bowie knife handles are constructed. As this step involves the use of a special hole-punching instrument that allows you to create small holes in certain regions of these chosen materials.
Follow our guide and be sure to place these holes in the center, upfront, and bottom of these materials to allow the glue to pass through them. By punching these holes, you will create a hollow space inside these materials that will become highly capable of storing glue products.
6. Fill in the Glue Products
Now it is time to create a permeant impression of this three-dimensional handle product by filling its hollow interior with PVC glues. Let the glue dry for one day and come back to refill the empty spaces in these manually manufactured knife handles.
At this point, your handle shape will be fully constructed, but, this process is not over yet. As you have to make sure that it completely gets molded into its specific shape and size before using them as your major Bowie knife handles.
7. Use the Rasp & Sandpapers
How to make a Bowie knife handle without a Forge? Well, using rasp and sandpapers are the two most useful techniques to create high-quality designed and durable knife handles for the Bowie knives. Make sure to read the below paragraph with complete concentration or attention.
First, you have to select a suitable position for your handle materials, then use the sandpapers and farrier rasps to scrap the body of these materials and continue to mold them in a certain shape. Remember the greater the scrapping, the more perfect would be the shape of these materials.
8. Attach the Materials to Blade Ends
Now you have to take help from a durable drill machine to pinch a sharp hole into the blade ends to pass through. You can also perform this step before filling in the main materials. But, we suppose this is a good time for this process of attaching the main blades to such materials without pins.
You can use glues to join the opening of these materials with the hand guard of these Bowie knives. This will permanently join the handles with the knives, and you can easily customize them even more.
9. Use the Resins
This step belongs to the customization of these amazing and highly versatile Bowie knives. You must drill two main holes through these handles without damaging the blades, and then screw them together with nuts.
Now, put the resins on the top of these handle materials from their top point to the bottom end and let it dry. As a result, your handles will now have multiple designs on them in numerous styles and fashions.
10. Get a Grinder
After customizing the handle materials, it is now time to mold them in a specific handle shape. You can use both manual hand grinders or special grinding machines for this purpose. But, for us, the machine grinders are the best option as they can mold objects with pace and perfection.
Thus, you have to hold these Bowie knives at a certain angle so that their blades do not get damaged. Now, push the handles towards the grinders and mold them in whatever shape you think is the best to maintain a perfect grip upon these special and durable knives.
11. Recheck the Handle Shape
Well, we have faced this problem several times, after molding the knives, their shape and size do not suit our grip and hand size for accurate knife movement. It angers us and makes us want to abandon this whole process without touching anything.
Therefore, we propose you, recheck the knife handles according to the size and shape that you need. If it doesn’t fulfill your requirement then mold them again. The process of making a Bowie knife handle produces dust and dirt repeatedly.
12. Clean the Knife Handles
In the end, it is up to you how you want to clean your Bowie knife handles. You can either use several polishing materials or just a damp cloth to wipe the dust off these amazing and newly manufactured handles.
But, according to us, first, use a damp cloth to wipe off the dust and dirt present on them. Then, use multiple polishing materials to rub their surface. It will create a shiny, smooth, and highly attractive view and feel for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you rivet knife handles?
The handles of some of the most famous knives ever made have been fastened with cutlery rivets for many years. There is no hassle involved in using knife handle rivets. By pressing the two parts together with a hammer and anvil surface, they can be permanently connected and treated with epoxy.
What is the best material to make a knife handle out of?
Knife handles are usually made of aluminum, which is anodized for its color, durability, and hardness. The knife feels heavy but doesn’t weigh the knife down thanks to its low density. The most common type that people use today is Aluminum T6-6061 alloy. It has tremendous tensile strength.
What is the best shape for a Bowie knife handle?
It is a better choice to make a Bowie knife handle with an oval shape. It allows the edge to align correctly with the handle. Swollen the blade in the middle to ensure a better contact with your palm. This will allow it to rotate naturally.
Final Verdict
In order to make a Bowie Knife handle, we have concluded the best and most effective 12 steps. The most basic step is to use the main material and the tools to manufacture the knife handles.
Then, cut these materials and pinch holes through them with drills and fill them with PVC glue products. Cut the knife blade end in half and use some adhesion products to attach them to the materials.
Molding these materials with scrappers or grinders can give the best-shaped and designed Bowie knife handles. So we hope you find this information useful and utilize it to make multiple knife handles.
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