# Rehandling a western handle with new scales?



## KnightKnightForever (Sep 25, 2021)

I tried a forum search but didn’t come up with much. I’m sure it’s here though. Anyone have a good link or two on removing the current handle of a western petty and replacing the plastic with wood? I have some nice Amboyna scraps and I really want to give it a go.


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## cotedupy (Sep 25, 2021)

The easiest way to remove them is bash them off with a hammer or use a vice to crush them up. Try not to touch the pins / rivets too much as they can be tricky to remove, especially if bent. You may need some fairly full-on wire cutters.

To make a handle - take your two pieces of wood and cut them roughly to size using a jigsaw or something. Then epoxy them on marking on the wood where the holes in the tang are. Drill and put your pins / rivets in. Tape up your blade, and then start shaping. You could do that by hand I suppose but I think most people would use a belt sander / grinder. Finish by hand sanding.

There are other people here who've done westerns a lot more than I have, so there'll probably be other methods and tips, that's just how I'd do it.


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## cotedupy (Sep 25, 2021)

OR...

Grind down the horrid, lumpen, Western tang and make it into a beautiful and elegant Wa handled petty instead!


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## Qapla' (Sep 25, 2021)

cotedupy said:


> OR...
> 
> Grind down the horrid, lumpen, Western tang and make it into a beautiful and elegant Wa handled petty instead!



That's a downgrade.


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## bsfsu (Sep 26, 2021)

Top two images should be lower down in the process sorry, 







The way I remove the handles is to drill the rivets out. Then smash the scales with a hammer. 




Then I rough shape the scales, (the tang side is taken to the finishing stage) 
Drill holes and cut the new pins to rough size and glue with epoxy. 







Then I do the shaping by hand with a rasp. Then take it through sanding grits (top 2 pics, I'm struggling to order the pics on my phone, I'm on holiday) and finish with Danish oil and then a Beeswax oil thing I make. 






This one is out of order too but I hope you get the idea?


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