I like the LMF firesteels because of how readily they give sparks and decided I wanted to customize my existing army model. I removed the standard handle by melting off the plastic and was left with a clean blank.
Out of the two exotic woods I purchase, I settled on making a handle out of Ebony (I have a Bocote peice that I'll use on another steel in the future). The peice itself cost me about $3, and honestly I have enough left to make 3-4 more handles if I wanted to.
After drilling a lanyard hole and a seat for the firesteel to rest in, I epoxied it into the hardwood and waited overnight for it to cure.
The next step was to rough out a general shape. I did this by mounting the firesteel into the chuck of my standing drill press and began smoothing out the corners of the block but turning on the drill and removing material with a rasp.
With a general profile laid out, it was time to start shaping the design. Being that this was my first go at making a firesteel handle I wanted to keep things simple and opted for a fairly basic design.
After filing out the shape, I used some fine wet/dry paper to smooth out the rough surface of the handle and sealed it with mineral oil.
The finished handle. It doesn't look too bad, and is certainly much nicer than the standard plastic handle it had before. Overall I'm pleased, and may try to do something more elaborate in the future.
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ReplyDeleteI really like this piece - you've inspired me to do something similar with some Azfelia Xylay and an Army firesteel.
ReplyDeleteKyle: I think you'll find it's a rewarding project. There's just something about making the handle yourself that makes using the firesteel that much more enjoyable.
ReplyDeletethat is some nice work. i got mine from lee valley. i just love the wood there. next project is a handle for a mora knife...
ReplyDeleteLee Valley is where I picked up the hardwood I used for the firesteel handle. They sell the Mora knife blanks there as well, and I was thinking of doing one too later on.
ReplyDeleteIf you can, post a pic of the final result somewhere!
Instead of having to purchase an after-market Firesteel with a handle that needs to be melted off, try FireSteel.com. They sell just the blank rods at great prices and their Firesteels spark like you wouldn't believe.
ReplyDeleteI've actually used similar firesteels blanks as those sold by firesteels.com (I got mine from goinggear.com).
ReplyDeleteThe composition of the mischmetal is actually different than the LMF and I actually prefer the LMF because I can control the sparks better.
Just a personal preference, and the reason I chose to melt off the plastic rather than using a blank.
REALLY? KNIFE BLANKS AT LEE VALLEY??? That is awesome! However, I am not having any luck finding them in their online catalogue. Do you have a link? Also having trouble finding any wood for handling. Thanks!
ReplyDelete