# Re-scale a TF western handle



## tostadas (Oct 16, 2021)

Curious if anyone has photos of what a western TF tang/bolster looks like with the scales removed. 

I'm considering re-scaling one of my TFs as a future project. Just from visual inspection, in general the handle looks pretty uneven. Also, everything I've read about this work should steer me away, but I'm still curious. I've seen some nice finished products of rehandled TFs, but the question is what work is needed to get to that point?


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## Barmoley (Oct 16, 2021)

Many use g10 liners between the scales and tang since the tangs are usually pretty rough. This makes it easier, without the need to make the tang super flat.


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## hmh (Oct 16, 2021)

Barmoley said:


> Many use g10 liners between the scales and tang since the tangs are usually pretty rough. This makes it easier, without the need to make the tang super flat.



where did you get this one done? looks great


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## tostadas (Oct 16, 2021)

Barmoley said:


> Many use g10 liners between the scales and tang since the tangs are usually pretty rough. This makes it easier, without the need to make the tang super flat.
> 
> View attachment 147375
> View attachment 147376


Normally I see the liner get glued to the scale before glue. Is this liner instead glued to the tang, and then the liner is sanded?


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## toddnmd (Oct 16, 2021)

I had my western Denka rehandled—agree that liners are the way to go.


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## Barmoley (Oct 16, 2021)

Nicholas Fitzgerald common_trade on Instagram made mine. Highly recommend his work, especially for western handles.


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## tostadas (Oct 16, 2021)

toddnmd said:


> I had my western Denka rehandled—agree that liners are the way to go.


Any idea the liner material?


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## McMan (Oct 16, 2021)

I had one rehandled by Dave 5+ years ago. It's in hiw re-handle thread (and he may have even posted another thread). Long story short, he had to convert to hidden tang because the TF tang was jacked--multiple low spots filled with black epoxy. I'll see if I can dig up the thread.

Edit:
It's post #559:





Gallery - Re-Handles


The gloss finish you're getting these days is unbelievable! Thanks Dave! The pictures look OK but trust me that in person the handles look so much better and the feel is smooth as silk. It's been awhile since I've been this happy with the results I'm getting so having you comment really makes...




www.kitchenknifeforums.com


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## McMan (Oct 16, 2021)

And here's the thread that shows the TF tang:





Poor tang & bolster fit and what this means when re-handling a knife....


I often get in knives to be rehandled that are in poor condition from the maker. Certain brands are pretty much guaranteed to have some particular problems associated. Without the handle maker addressing these issues then all the customer can expect is a prettier handle with the same fit 'n...




www.kitchenknifeforums.com


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## toddnmd (Oct 17, 2021)

tostadas said:


> Any idea the liner material?



From the rehandler: “The liners help transition some of the Denka roughness. What I like is to use thin black g10 liner epoxy.”
He mentioned needing to remove a gnarly burr on the handle at some point.
Here are a couple pics, too. Denka on right in top pic.


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## new2brew (Oct 17, 2021)

I too have a TF western handle that I would like to “rehandle”, not rescale. If I went from western to wa would the balance of the knife be thrown off too much? Could / should I use a heavier wood to counter this? Is this a possibility? Any comments would be appreciated.


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## nakiriknaifuwaifu (Oct 17, 2021)

new2brew said:


> I too have a TF western handle that I would like to “rehandle”, not rescale. If I went from western to wa would the balance of the knife be thrown off too much? Could / should I use a heavier wood to counter this? Is this a possibility? Any comments would be appreciated.



do you want to sell it to me and just buy a wa instead 

Usually TF wa is more forward balanced than yo. This is because of the full tang (metal all the way through the handle). Removing a good portion of that steel in a wa conversion would tip the knife forward.

If you prefer the balance of a yo but the shape of a wa then yes you could choose a heavier wood/longer handle/install further back.

Also IME the tangs of TF wa is thicker than the tangs of TF yo


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## new2brew (Oct 17, 2021)

I’m thinking your joking about selling you the western, but yes I would. I mistakenly chose the western by default as I went back and forth on their website thinking my original choice held, but reverted back to western default. They would have taken it back but….shipping is on me. So if your not joking and it’s amicable sure!


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## Hz_zzzzzz (Oct 17, 2021)

new2brew said:


> I’m thinking your joking about selling you the western, but yes I would. I mistakenly chose the western by default as I went back and forth on their website thinking my original choice held, but reverted back to western default. They would have taken it back but….shipping is on me. So if your not joking and it’s amicable sure!


Is that a 240 denka? I have a WTB thread for a 240 western denka just so you know.


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## justaute (Oct 17, 2021)

I see the sharks are circling. LOL


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## new2brew (Oct 18, 2021)

No sorry, its a 210


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## Boynutman (Feb 5, 2022)

Did anyone give this a try in the mean time? 
I am about to give it a shot on my TF Mab 210. I feel the handle is too narrow. Bought some stabilized walnut that I plan to install with brass pins.

I am just a bit concerned about unknown unkowns that may appear from under the scales. Not a pro and it doesn't have to achieve Dave's standards but I would still like it to look pretty good.

Thanks for any input!


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## tostadas (Feb 5, 2022)

Boynutman said:


> Did anyone give this a try in the mean time?
> I am about to give it a shot on my TF Mab 210. I feel the handle is too narrow. Bought some stabilized walnut that I plan to install with brass pins.
> 
> I am just a bit concerned about unknown unkowns that may appear from under the scales. Not a pro and it doesn't have to achieve Dave's standards but I would still like it to look pretty good.
> ...


I ended up ripping off the scales, but haven't gotten around to installing new ones yet. There was minimal epoxy to contend with. Mainly just 2 pakka scales held on with compression pins. Comes off fairly easily with some prying. The dremel wasn't necessary but helped a little.

My tang is also tapered, just fyi

Here's some pics





Show your newest knife buy


New member of the anryu family, double bevel honesuki from ikeda




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## Boynutman (Feb 5, 2022)

Thanks! Helpful picture there. More or less as I expected.


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## Boynutman (Feb 20, 2022)

So yesterday as part of the rescaling project I started out with reshaping/tapering the tang (or is it bolster?) with the factory handle still in place. I figured this would give some guidance when shaping new scales.
Took inspiration from pics in this thread and pics of beautiful Shigefusa western handles and convinced myself that the factory tang shape had to go.

The tang is really soft stainless that can easily be reshaped with a file. Clamped it to a cutting board on the kitchen countertop.

Really happy with the result, tang is now tapered and has wider flats on the sides which makes it much more comfortable.

Some before and after pics.
Didn't go all the way because I want to save some steel for later.


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## Boynutman (Feb 20, 2022)

Some pictures halfway the process.


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## Boynutman (Mar 19, 2022)

So now I knocked of the original scales, using an old screwdriver as a chisel and a light hammer to carefully chip away. Took 5 minutes.
What is underneath was pretty decent and flat. And it has the stainless cladding so no risk for rust underneath the scale.


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## Boynutman (Mar 19, 2022)

I made a dummy handle in soft pine wood to see if I could actually make what I had in mind, something more sculpted. I cut it in 2 halves and installed it as a mock-up just to find out whether I like the shape (which I do!).
Next step will be making real scales with stabilized walnut.


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## tostadas (May 4, 2022)

Finally convinced myself to spend some time on this project Ive been putting off for so long. Work in progress of rescaling with Koa and hidden brass pins. My first time attempting a western handle


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## zizirex (May 5, 2022)

hidden brass pin FTW


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## tostadas (May 17, 2022)

To close the loop on this thread, here's the final handle after finish sanding and oil/wax that I also posted previously in the 'sticks' thread.


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## Boynutman (May 22, 2022)

tostadas said:


> To close the loop on this thread, here's the final handle after finish sanding and oil/wax that I also posted previously in the 'sticks' thread.


She's a keeper then?


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## tostadas (May 22, 2022)

Boynutman said:


> She's a keeper then?


That's the plan.


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## Boynutman (Jun 25, 2022)

Here some process pictures of my TF western rescaling project, a 210 Maboroshi Gyuto. I have long hands and wanted a larger more voluminous handle without wanting to change the tang profile. So the whole project was more function than aesthetics driven but of course I wanted it to look good. I figured I'd post it here rather than make a new thread so others can benefit from our combined experiences.

I used hand tools only except for buying a 2nd hand drill standard to ensure the pin holes were true and perpendicular to the handle. So otherwise a steel file, sandpaper, figure (jig) saw, steel saw for the handle pins, small hand plane, 2 clamps... that's it really.
The wood is stabilised walnut. This turned out to be quite soft and very easy to work with. I don't have power tools to polish the wood but I am happy with the final finish.

Overall no disasters or nasty surprises, except for enlarging one tang hole.
Used materials are stabilized walnut scales (16 euro), Araldite 30 minutes epoxy (11 euro), a short length of 6mm brass pin (4 euro leftover piece at the hardware store) and some tung oil.

Step 1: Removing the scales. Wonderful TF handle smell. The state of the tang was quite good, required some cleaning up with sandpaper to create a clean surface for epoxying the scales.





Step 2: Drilling new pin holes in the tang. I wanted the pins to be distributed more evenly. The most forward hole was terrible to drill, took me perhaps an hour with a fresh good drill. It just didn't grip on the core white #1 steel. Surprisingly the 2 new aft holes went easy and smooth, but enlarging that forward hole to 6mm diameter... damn.





Step 3: Trimming the bolster. The bolster was quite uneven (lh vs. rh) and I wanted some symmetry and more or less right angles. Took ages with a hand file, some heavy trimming... But the end result is much better than original. Bolster steel is very soft and easy to file and sand.





Step 4: Glued the 1st scale with Araldite 30 minute epoxy. Drilled through the holes afterwards (few days later when fully cured). After applying epoxy I wrapped it in cling foil (to avoid a mess) and then clamped it down.





Step 5: Initial shaping of the first scale so it would be easier for the 2nd scale once that would be glued.





Step 6: 2nd scale glued and drilled.





Step 7: initial shaping of the handle. Finally I ended up removing even more wood with a hand plane to make the handle somewhat more narrow.





Step 8: Glued in 6mm solid brass pins. I oversized the holes very slightly to ensure there would be epoxy around the pins to properly fill the holes and avoid gaps for moisture. Sized the length of the pins fairly accurate to avoid having to file/sand too much later on.





Step 9: Final shaping of the handle (picture halfway in the process). I took off quite some thickness with wood backed sandpaper. The brass pins were easy to sand together with the wood. The fairly soft wood is (for me) impossible to get entirely smooth, some grain texture on the surface remains.
There are some imperfections in the tang that are impossible to get rid of (short of opting for a hidden tang like the pro's do).






Step 10: Final shape and oiled with a few coats of Tung oil. Will apply some more coats later on.





Really happy with the end result! Very comfortable. Will post some pictures in the Sticks thread. Thanks for looking, hope it will be useful to some of you!


edit: typos & some extras.


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## daddy yo yo (Jun 26, 2022)

Looks fantastic, congratulations and chapeau!!


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## Boynutman (Jun 26, 2022)

daddy yo yo said:


> Looks fantastic, congratulations and chapeau!!


Thank you!


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## Corradobrit1 (Jun 26, 2022)

'Chapeau' as the French would say. Are you taking orders, as I have a Yo Denka in desperate need of a rehandle?


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## Boynutman (Jun 26, 2022)

Corradobrit1 said:


> 'Chapeau' as the French would say. Are you taking orders, as I have a Yo Denka in desperate need of a rehandle?


 ...I figure bringing around the morning paper is a more healthy business model... but this is more satisfying!


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