Wrapping knife grip with string...

[Jorah Lavin]

(excuse if this is in the wrong forum)

One of my favorite books is an older book on knots called The Ashley Book of Knots.

It isn't just knots, it includes many small stories of how the author found all the information... he met lots of interesting folks along the way.

Among the 3,800+ knots and variants is a method for wrapping knife and sword handles with a sort of multiple half-hitch. He says that it was a method popular with fencers, and it creates a really nice surface, with a spiralling knot effect around the handle.

I bring this up because I've often seen photos of knives with something that I think is a Japanese pattern wrap, and was thinking that people might like to know about a Western version that probably evolved to solve the same problem.

If there is interest here, I'll try to write up the (fairly simple) method, or if this is well-known, standard knife knowledge, I'll quietly retire from the discussion.


-Jorah

 

[swampgator]

Strider Knives

Is what you're describing the way that the Strider Knives are wrapped in their ads?

If so post away. If not post anyway!

 

[Jorah Lavin]

The Strider wrap is what I think of as "Japanese,"

because it makes me think of Japanese swords, but I don't really know if that is true.

http://www.striderknives.com/

In any case, I can't seem to find the instructions in the Ashley book right this minute, but it goes something like this.

-=-=-=-

Imagine the knife is standing upright on the point. The string will be attached to the grip just above the guards or flared part (I'm looking at a Gerber Mark 1 as my example).

Once you have the string secured on the grip (I think I used a simple noose) then you just create a half hitch (picture sending the string once around the grip, then threaded under itself)

You actually do this by giving the string a sort of backhanded twist and dropping it down the length of the grip. You tighten the simple hitch down against the original loop, then repeat. Because of the "mechanics" of doing one hitch after another, each following knot will be slightly off-set from the first, which creates a kind of stair-step effect. Slowly, the wrap will progress up to the butt of the knife. You may have to be a bit creative to tie it off tightly.

Now that I'm looking closely at my Gerber, I'm wondering if I might not have actually done the wrap in the other direction, starting by tying it off in the lanyard hole.

Anyway, it is easier done than said. I'll look through the book some more, try to find the original instructions.

...more later...

-Jorah

 

[C.R.Sam]

Years ago, used fish knives with wrapped grips. Made em less slippery when cleanin fish.

Sam

 

[redneck]

cordwrap handles are really popular for neck knives and small fixed blades nowadays. Flat nylon string similar to shoelace works good. You can coat it with epoxy after your done to keep it in place and keep it from picking up moisture.
If you really want to make it look classy, wrap the tang in a peice of rayskin or something similar before doing the cordwrap. It shows through the knot pattern and has a neat effect.

They should have some stuff you can use at www.texasknife.com

 

[Jorah Lavin]

I tried to draw the process...

Makes me appreciate people who can draw well.

What I tried to show was some hint of how the knots (dots here) spiral up the handle of the knife. I extended the spiral all the way to the butt of the knife, but only put in a few horizontal lines to indicate the string wrapping around the handle.

I use hard twine, like the stuff you use for chalk-lines when you do carpentry or whatever.

The scraggly lines are supposed to indicate how the string is wrapped, one simple half-hitch after another.

If anyone tries this, tell me how you like the effect. Note... this will make the grip feel thick, so if your knife already feels "hefty," then this probably wouldn't be good.

-Jorah

 

[VaughnT]

Gotta love that Ashley Book of Knots, Jorah! I bet I've been using that wonderful tome for more than a decade and couldn't imagine what my life would be like without her. Ever make buckskin thong buttons?

Anyhow, I wholly agree with the wrapped handle. I used one on my green river and she is far better at skinning deer now.

I recommend that anyone wrapping a handle apply several coats of thinned-out epoxy to the finished piece. I find a 50/50 mix of 2-ton epoxy and mineral spirits is good enough to let the epoxy flow down into the string. Three coats should be plenty.

Thanks for bringing it up.....wonder if I can do my 1911.......

 

[Kalindras]

Been there, done that!!

Yeah, the wrapping style you describe, Jorah, does work well for fencing grips (or any other small, mostly squarish grips). Unfortunately, on anything with a less symmetrical grip, it kind of sucks...just my opinion, of course, but it's been my experience that putting on a dagger, such as the one in your example, is vaguely uncomfortable, as you get 'high spots' in the grip at odd places.

I can't help but think it would be excellent, though, for things like stilettos or turned-handled thrusters, as that spiralling tends to twist the blade when you put force on it. Nasty...

Kal

 

[Mac57]

Sounds like youre wrapping it somthing like the serving on a bow.

 

[swampgator]

http://www.therangerdigest.com/

Follow link on the left side for "para-cord knive"

That is the way mine are currently wrapped.

 

[krept]

Gotta love those Striders!

I prefer the way these are wrapped... it looks as if they wrap a loop of paracord halfway around the handle, then double back on the other side of the handle, creating another loop by threading the loose end through the first loop. Darn things are hard to explain. I do not know how I would finish this kind of knot...