i would post this at a knife site but as long as i'm here i'll see what you folks think.
i'm putting a leather disc handle on a home made knife.i have all the parts ready to go and the clamp fixture to squeeze the discs into a sold handle.any ideas on what glue to use? one book said a 2 part epoxy but i have used that on other projects and it's a sticky mess.water proof wood glue was another and that sounds like it would be better,that person even said to cut it with water.last is Barge glue.that came up because it was used in the "old days" and those knives are still going strong.
any feedback would be helpful--thanks.

Couldn't tell you the best glue. But I would suggest that before you ruin your really good knife blade - that you try out the glue and bonding process with some leather samples & metal from your local hardware store.

Good luck!
Pete2

Pete..smart move!..i'll do that,i have enough leather discs to put a few together with different glues..
here are a couple shots of the work so far.

the blade go's into the slot in the wood,it's covered with duct tape now,that will hold it while i compress the leather discs.



the whole thing is wrapped in wax paper to keep any glue off the blade.i'll post some shots when i'm done

There are different ways to do it. At it's simplest, you can just squeeze the leather handle washers on tight (with threaded butt cap, peened butt cap, etc...) with no glue at all. Shape the handle to almost finished. Then soak the leather handle in boiling parafin wax long enough for it to really penetrate (it will also give the knife tang some rust protection). Then final finish it out. The wax will make everything a solid block and preserve the leather. If it's done right, it will last forever.

If you want to use glue, a rubber cement like Barge is fine, but you still need to wax or preserve the leather. I've done a couple of them and used both methods. It's just really what you think is best/easier for you.

Canoe Dogs

If you get a chance ... post some more pix as you do that handle. I'd like to see how it works out. I haven't seen a project done like that before - pretty interesting idea.

Pete2

lots of good info here,the Blade Forum stuff sounded a bit complex as i don't want to dye anything and i wonder if for a first try i would want to go the bees wax soak route.i was thinking of just a lot of Neatsfoot Oil and light sand papering until i got a got finish.the idea about finishing the tang so it would not rust is a very good one and i'll work on that,wax?rust proof paint? varnish?
i have on my desk at the moment two knives with stacked handles.
one is my Dads WW2 Cattaraugus sheath knife and after 70 or so years is still in very good shape.the other is from the late 80's,a Blackjack that i was going to use as a canoeing knife but it's a bit heavy on my belt.both those are examples of what i'm shooting for.

Just a couple of thoughts from a non-expert.

When people still used the old-style wood-and-rawhide showshoes, it was standard practice to put a couple of coats of exterior grade varnish on both the wood and the leather at the start of each season. This would keep everything tight, light, and dry. Until it was abraded off by snow.

Alternatively, I suppose you could soak the handle with liquid silicone (the kind used to re-waterproof tent flies etc.). Penetrating, inexpensive, and likely quite effective.

My 2c.

The couple of production leather handle knives I know are all made without any sort of glue. If you use paraffin wax as said earlier the leather will turn into almost hard plastic like and literally indestructible.

Non-expert comments cont'd:

Paraffin wax is an interesting idea, since it will soak into the leather's pores. And you have a firestarting candle/handle with you at all times (I kid, I kid). But I wonder if its waterproofing would extend to the carbon steel tang in a consistent way (think freeze/thaw and humidity changes).

On the other hand, what about other modern materials? Last fall, I sealed some windows with GE exterior grade silicone that has a 35 year warranty. A knife handle is a fairly rigid structure; could this be glue and sealant all in one?

I've made a few knives, although nothing with stacked leather. Spent alot of time on the bladeforums makers area, so I've at least read alot. Biggest thing about epoxy is accuracy in mixing, guessing that pile A is the same size as pile B, and then mixing together is not accurate. Generally bad experiences with epoxy are from this. That, and the stuff you find at the hardware store isn't that great.

I had a longer reply typed up, but the more I thought about it, the more I was unsure, so I figured instead of telling you something that might be wrong, I'll simply point you to bladeforums (go to the makers section, not any of the general areas), and ask those guys. Plenty of them do this for a living, and should be able to instruct you fairly well (search first so you will be at least partially informed).

i wonder if the use of the hot wax dip is a shortcut used in the factory production of knives and in the long run not as good as each disc covered with glue and pressed.like the laser cutting of blades V.S. hand forging. wax does work but it's not like hand craft...if you think this is a can of worms just wait until i get to the sheath...one thing i did decide was to keep this knife rather simple.i cut the rosenkrans off some deer horn i have but i'll hold off on using it.i have seen some handmade knives around and they seem to have too many "add on's".

I have always heard that beeswax is the only way to go for waterproofing leather. It has a MUCH hotter melting temperature than paraffin.(my paraffin candles will melt in my car, but the beeswax ones have not yet melted.

i'm closing in on finishing this project.it looks like i'll go with Tightbond WP glue and a clamp.the wax sounds ok but involves dealing with really hot bees wax,i have enough for the job but it sound tricky.temps,time in the wax and so on is a bit much for a first time effort.the end cap is still in the thinking stage but will be a brass cap with a bolt from one of the knife making shops on the web or a slice of antler or moose bone.
when i reach a stage in the process worth showing i'll start a new post.

I think Kabars were like that, but someone might come along and correct me in 30 seconds.