# octo wa handle removal



## jessf (Feb 15, 2016)

Not happy with the fit and finish on the handle for my deba. Curious to know how best to remove the handle from the tang.


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## Pensacola Tiger (Feb 15, 2016)

If the handle is not epoxied to the tang, hold the blade on a board longer than the blade with one end of the board against the ferrule and hit the other end of the board with a hammer, mallet or even another block of wood. Be extremely careful not to cut yourself. You may want to put heavy tape over the edge of the blade.

[video=youtube;gg3RpeoVO1w]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg3RpeoVO1w[/video]

If the handle is epoxied, you will probably have to chisel it off.


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## pkjames (Feb 15, 2016)

that looks like a echizen rosewood handle to me. If that was the case, the handle is glued.


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## aboynamedsuita (Feb 15, 2016)

If it's epoxied in you're probably SOL. This thread may be helpful:
http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/s...to-remove-the-handle-from-a-Sakai-Yusuke-suji

If it's a burn-in and sealed with wax you can knock off the old one by placing the blade on a short a 2x4 or something and hold in your hand. Hit the other end of the 2x4 (not touching the ferrule) and it should start to go shortly. See Maksim's videos:
[video=youtube_share;ZajZh8aps6Q]http://youtu.be/ZajZh8aps6Q[/video]
[video=youtube_share;AFTkCmPnIN8]http://youtu.be/AFTkCmPnIN8[/video]

If reinstalling as a burn-in do so at your own risk and don't F it up:
http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/s...-I-feel-like-crying-when-we-get-this-stuff-in


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## jacko9 (Feb 15, 2016)

If the handle is epoxied on use a Japanese pull saw to cut off two sides or lacking a pull saw find a friend with a bandsaw, tape the blade and let him cut it off. Save the chiseling for the final bit of wood.


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## jessf (Feb 15, 2016)

Yeah, I think I'll just cut the f#$ker off on the bandsaw. I want to make a handle with blackwood and rosewood similar to my saya with some decent white banding. Also might make it longer to help balance the weight.


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## jessf (Feb 15, 2016)

I'm bored.


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## jacko9 (Feb 15, 2016)

Find some rosewood with sap wood and you'll have your light/dark contrast. I have a long piece of Brazilian Rosewood with about a one inch band of sap wood that is almost white.


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## Nomo4me (Feb 15, 2016)

Bookmarked. I've got some beautiful Bocote and blackwood drying.


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## jacko9 (Feb 15, 2016)

Nomo4me said:


> Bookmarked. I've got some beautiful Bocote and blackwood drying.



Be careful with Bocote - I've had severe irritation reactions sanding Bocote. I have a hundred board feet of this stuff pushed aside in one of my lumber racks.


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## jessf (Feb 15, 2016)

I've got some blackwood drying for over 8 years. I'll get my rosewood from A&M woods in Cambridge Ontario. I put this diddy together many years ago and now I'm restless for new projects. http://www.airgunrendezvous.com/rendezvous/read.php?9,16788


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## MAS4T0 (Feb 15, 2016)

I've been meaning to remove the (epoxied) handle from one of my Japanese knives and have a custom replacement made. The problem though is that the handle is a nice piece of ebony and the ferrule is a very nice piece of horn which I don't want to destroy. The handle is great, it's just not fitted as well as I would like... 

How much material is there usually around the tang? 

If I removed it cleanly with a pull saw, would the pieces likely be large enough to make chopsticks? Is there anything I could use the horn for?


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## Nomo4me (Feb 15, 2016)

jacko9 said:


> Be careful with Bocote - I've had severe irritation reactions sanding Bocote. I have a hundred board feet of this stuff pushed aside in one of my lumber racks.



Yeah it's a bad one. And open grained to boot. I've also got a bunch of nice English Walnut from Chico area of CA, cut-offs from my days as a gunstock maker. It would make some beautiful Wa handles.


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## aboynamedsuita (Feb 15, 2016)

MAS4T0 said:


> I've been meaning to remove the (epoxied) handle from one of my Japanese knives and have a custom replacement made. The problem though is that the handle is a nice piece of ebony and the ferrule is a very nice piece of horn which I don't want to destroy. The handle is great, it's just not fitted as well as I would like...
> 
> How much material is there usually around the tang?
> 
> If I removed it cleanly with a pull saw, would the pieces likely be large enough to make chopsticks? Is there anything I could use the horn for?



When I've removed some epoxied handles they 99% of the time would be irreparably damaged. I think all have had epoxy along the entire length of the tang (not just a drop at the ferrule). Some of them (I recall a rosewood on a Takeda) sort of had a dowel of a softer wood which would likely respond better to the burn-in but would limit the amount of salvageable wood.


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## MAS4T0 (Feb 15, 2016)

tjangula said:


> When I've removed some epoxied handles they 99% of the time would be irreparably damaged. I think all have had epoxy along the entire length of the tang (not just a drop at the ferrule). Some of them (I recall a rosewood on a Takeda) sort of had a dowel of a softer wood which would likely respond better to the burn-in but would limit the amount of salvageable wood.



Thanks for the info.

I don't understand why then insist on installing them this way, I'd happily pay extra to have it installed properly if there was the option...


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## pkjames (Feb 15, 2016)

you cant do burn in on hardwood like ebony, at least not as easy like the epoxy method, since the wood will just turn into hard charcoal instead of going away. If you try too hard, it splits.


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## JBroida (Feb 15, 2016)

It's not easy and takes more time for sure, but many people in Japan still burn in ebony


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## jacko9 (Feb 16, 2016)

Nomo4me said:


> Yeah it's a bad one. And open grained to boot. I've also got a bunch of nice English Walnut from Chico area of CA, cut-offs from my days as a gunstock maker. It would make some beautiful Wa handles.



I bought a lot of Claro Walnut from a business in Chico - they did a lot of gun stocks and slabs for table tops.

Jack


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## jacko9 (Feb 16, 2016)

JBroida said:


> It's not easy and takes more time for sure, but many people in Japan still burn in ebony



My knives from T-F had ebony handles that were epoxied on.


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## rick_english (Feb 16, 2016)

MAS4T0 said:


> I've been meaning to remove the (epoxied) handle from one of my Japanese knives and have a custom replacement made. The problem though is that the handle is a nice piece of ebony and the ferrule is a very nice piece of horn which I don't want to destroy. The handle is great, it's just not fitted as well as I would like...



I've successfully removed 6 epoxied handles. I tend to friction-fit blades until I decide I like a particular combo, then I epoxy it. Unfortunately, months later I'll get another blade (or handle) that I think would work better.

So I stick the blade in a vise, between two pieces of wood. I then heat it near the base with a cheap Harbor Freight heat gun. I built a notched 2x2 piece of wood that fits over the blade, and I can hit that with a hammer to remove the handle. I DO NOT recommend this, though it has worked 6 times out of 6 for me. I believe epoxy softens at a temperature well below that which would affect the temper of the blade. There are lots of risks, however. For one, I think it would be fairly easy to ruin a ferrule if the heat gun was aimed improperly.

Anyway, just wanted to get it on record that epoxy can be reversed.


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## jessf (Feb 16, 2016)

yeah I've have similar experiences with heat and epoxy. The trick with this one I imagine is getting heat where it needs to be. I'm less interested in saving the handle as I'm unimpressed with it's quality. The blade I like very much. I will take it's measurements for the records, give it a whack and if it doesn't pop off I'll just cut it on the band saw. I'll start a separate thread when I get around to making the new wa handle. I'll be borrowing some fine ideas off this lovely forum, which credit of course. :thumbsup:


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## rick_english (Feb 16, 2016)

jessf said:


> yeah I've have similar experiences with heat and epoxy. The trick with this one I imagine is getting heat where it needs to be. I'm less interested in saving the handle as I'm unimpressed with it's quality. The blade I like very much. I will take it's measurements for the records, give it a whack and if it doesn't pop off I'll just cut it on the band saw. I'll start a separate thread when I get around to making the new wa handle. I'll be borrowing some fine ideas off this lovely forum, which credit of course. :thumbsup:



Looking forward to pics of the build.


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## jacko9 (Feb 16, 2016)

jessf said:


> I've got some blackwood drying for over 8 years. I'll get my rosewood from A&M woods in Cambridge Ontario. I put this di
> 
> ddy together many years ago and now I'm restless for new projects. http://www.airgunrendezvous.com/rendezvous/read.php?9,16788



Nice work on that air gun stock. I got into Air rifles a few years ago to do some pest control. Started with the Weihrauch HW95 then I decided that I "needed" a PCP so I got the FX 400 Royale in 22 and that is sure a rodent elimination tool!

Jack


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