Master Your Wa Handles: I Did It the Wrong Way... Until Now!

Thank you for the great comments on yesterday's video! There was an excellent knife-making tip I need to pass on.
If you're interested in the high gauge I use for marking those lines, here is an Amazon affiliate link: amzn.to/40SWpr8
#simplelittlelife #knifemakingtips

[@goot776]

I stopped using epoxy when putting the tang into my wa handles. I shave off little bits of hot glue rods and drop as many as I can into the tang slot, then I heat up the tang enough to melt the hot glue when it's inserted. The tang then cools off and makes a secure fit. Why use hot glue and not epoxy? If I ever need to remove and repair a wa handle that has been damaged, or completely replace it, I can put the entire knife into an oven at 175F (80C) for a few minutes and it softens enough to slide it off. The liquifaction temp of hot glue is not enough to burn the wood, and the limited amount of oven time isn't enough to mess with the stronger epoxy on the ferrule. Hot glue also provides enough strength to make a solid grip on the tang during normal use. It hasn't failed me yet. I also use the dowel method.

[@Stefanhallusa]

I’ve used bees wax quite successfully - same idea as far as the maintenance goes. Has to be bees wax though… regular candle wax is too brittle.

[@robsonez]

I'd be sceptical of either of these methods without the use of a pin. I'm in Australia and summer temps reach 40°c plus.

[@Stefanhallusa]

@@robsonez fair, but this method would be used on a kitchen knife that probably wouldn’t lay out in the sun… at a sustained 40° I’d also start to worry about the handle material

[@robsonez]

@Stefanhallusa on a bench by a window? Definitely a situational fitment method.

[@buffalojones341]

Gets as high as 52 C in the desert where I live. My hot glue sticks don’t melt unless they’re in the gun or under my lighter.

[@BetweenTwoForks]

Man, I'm so excited to see this much content brother. LOVING it and thank you for all the hard work!

[@Simplelittlelife]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that and thank you for your continued support 👍

[@Rsama60]

Thanks for showing my tip. That is what I like at the knife making community, knife makers are willing to share their experience. (Sure there is the odd exception). One more thing I do different for the last three years. Wa handles are meant to be replaceable. I learned that in a Tokyo knife shop some years ago. They sell Wa handles separately. I know the Japanese burn the knife into the handle and seal it with some bees wax. I don‘t epoxy my handles but use hot glue. Just heat up the tang with a torch until the glue starts to melt. Then swipe the glue stick over the tang to cover it. Once you have cover your tang with glue slide the handle in. The spill out can be easily removed once cold. The first knife I made like this is in use in my kitchen, no issues with the knife at all. The forces on a kitchen knife are not high so I don’t see a risk. Would I do this with a bushcraft knife? Sure not. Regards Roland

[@goot776]

Same here, see my other comment. I prefer putting pieces of the hot glue in first so it's not being smeared off the tang if there's a tight slot in the ferrule.

[@Simplelittlelife]

That is very interesting. Thank you for yet another great idea! Cheers👍

[@brysonalden5414]

I agree with your comment about sharing information in this community. Just spent the day in various blacksmith shops and on the phone with smiths I've never met getting their take on power hammers and 25 ton presses. They were, to a man, happy to take time out of their days to give me info I didn't have.

[@benchapman5247]

I have been tapering my WA handles for a while now, I work to around 2mm wider at the back (1mm each side) and 3mm taller at the back than the front (top is straight with the blade, only the underneath is tapered) which makes them feel a lot more natural to hold. I also make them at least 20mm over length then after the rest of the sizing is done and the blade is fitted, I then grind the tail of the handle (again slightly tapered so the top of the handle is a bit longer than the bottom, it looks better) until the balance of the blade is perfect. I have also been experimenting with cutting a small bevel each side underneath at the front to make a pinch grip more comfortable. Maybe they are not true "Wa" handles now but I feel they are nicer to use. Also the Brad point bits are the only way to go with this construction method.

[@patrickvilda9929]

Thanks for the video 👍. Little helpful tip, I use a 10 ml syringe that I open to put the glue in. I wind it up and push the air out. This allows to fill the hole completely to improve the glueing.

[@davidpatel9523]

I'm new to knife making and have been very impressed at how generous the community is in sharing tips and ideas. I've picked up a lot of info from KZbin and forums. Thank you for sharing your videos. The wax and glue gun tips in these comments sound good, going to try them on my next wa handle

[@Simplelittlelife]

Yeah it’s a great community to be involved in for sure! You’re welcome! Always worth it when people find them helpful and especially when you leave kind comments. Very much appreciated, thank you! Cheers 👍

[@swo0p70]

I see everyone doing them on belt grinder, why doesn’t anyone use block planes? Feels like it gives you more precision. Great video, thanks for sharing!

[@AnimalMotha]

I don't even have a belt grinder, and I would never think about doing them with a hand plane, 'cause I find that to be waaaay more difficult. Keeping the plane steady on a precise angle.. no way for me.

[@billyblake4291]

Thank you for sharing!

[@Draxon_blades]

I really love your content mate. I get soooo much from your vids as a new knife maker. Please keep up the good work

[@Simplelittlelife]

Thank you so much!

[@67iguana]

The way the clips were edited at 2:22 made it sound like the tang snapped off and boy howdy did my stomach drop!

[@TobyFireandSteel]

Awesome work dude 👏🏻👏🏻 loving the workshop too

[@Simplelittlelife]

Thanks buddy! 👍

[@garetkonigsfeld2]

Have you ever tried the carbide hammer. It works amazingly well . The best part is no stress it just works. Very informative video. I really enjoy your videos, not so much fast-forward, and you explain what you're doing. From time to time, I learned something new. Thanks for sharing 👍.

[@DomDemolition737]

Hey Jeremy, a whole bunch of tipps, thank you very much! Some of them I knew already, some new I'm gonna try to adapt on my next handle... I'm mostly eyeballing to get something one might call symmetrical, but your method using the 1-2-3's and the height gauge is bullet-proof... Thanx a lot man!

[@Simplelittlelife]

You’re welcome. Thank you for watching!

[@tippo4]

Little tip When using glue, try another pair of gloves over the 1st pair, so if you have any accidents, you can rip off a pair and have fresh ones on to keep going nice job, though

[@davesober2093]

Another good one. Thanks.

[@Simplelittlelife]

Thank you! I appreciate you watching as always👍

[@lopesfacascustom]

I learn this from Alec Steele, if you wanna perfect fit for the tang in every knife, and still have the habilitie to remove the handle whenever you need before the final glue up, just cover your tang in wax, that way you have no worries if the epoxy was set enough before remove, just leve it there and the wax don't let the glue stick on the tang, in the final glue up clean everything well and you're good to go.

[@Simplelittlelife]

I used to use that method and even have videos on my channel about it a few years ago. I prefer this method. For me. I think it’s better. I also think it’s just a matter of personal preference. Whatever you prefer, use that 👍

[@jeffreydauterman]

Great to see you getting back into the groove!!

[@Simplelittlelife]

Thank you so much! I appreciate that. 👍

[@jeffreydauterman]

@@Simplelittlelife yes sir!!!!

[@zgi5950]

Great Video as always! For straightening i use recently Kyle Daily (KH Daily knives) Carbide ball peen hammer. It works like a charm, and there is less risk of cracking a blade or tang.

[@Simplelittlelife]

Thank you. I think I will have to look into that hammer from Kyle Daily. So many folks are talking about it and I've heard a lot even on various podcasts and stuff. Thanks for the suggestion👍

[@RMOR_KNIVES]

Great tips, 👍

[@Simplelittlelife]

You're welcome. Thank you for watching! So nice when I can pass something on that I learned from the fine folks in the comment section👍

[@almfoto]

sounded like Jim Dandy right there about 6:20

[@thefirstmissinglink]

Nice!

[@Keith_the_knife_freak]

Sweet !!!

[@MrMixosnow]

Nice vid ' as always 😉 Perhaps you can use à drill bit for pocket hole to solve you' re offset problem ?

[@knownaigm]

RIGHT as you were bending the tang you cut the video to the loud blowtorch clicking on and I thought you broke the tang in half! Anyway, yeah this is how I do my Wa handles too, making sure everything is as marked and true as possible the whole time really helps keep from getting "lost" in chasing the angles all over the place.

[@Simplelittlelife]

Hahahaha! I noticed that in the edit and figured it would be fun to leave it in there. You are correct. A little extra time during layout came make a huge difference in actual shaping and even sometimes getting a decent outcome at all. 👍

[@knownaigm]

@@Simplelittlelife Devious! Totally got an 😲 reaction from me with that lol. Yeah my first couple of Wa handles I didn't layout first and I spent forever chasing angles and ended up making them a lot slimmer than I initially planned, one I had to totally re-handle it was so wonky.

[@willw7595]

yes, you need to use a brad point wood bit when drilling in wood. The point keeps the bit straight. A bigger bit is not going wander too much.

[@rafaeltarga87]

Damn, I thought that had broken the tang in 2:23 😅

[@5ElementsWoodworking]

What do you use as a finish on the handles?

[@dozukime]

I have been "pimping" kitchen knifes for a while now. But I see some makers using "stabilising resins" I dont have probs with my handles, whats your take on stabilising wood?

[@johnjude2685]

Wasting sandpaper bandsaw first Like your: vice tool for straighten blade Should have marked the sides before grinding don't want to get confused Thanks again

[@davesober2093]

I ain't no clown-donkey.

[@Simplelittlelife]

sure ain't 😆👍

[@masoodamg6633]

👍👏👏

[@altruex]

canada 🍁

[@willw7595]

I guess i must be ate up with a case of DA. Because i don't see what you're doing wrong. The only thing i see is you made the sides a little narrow. from what i have seen on other wa handles. Either way the knife turned out very good to me. I hope you get all the things fixed at your new place.

[@marksmallman4572]

Forgive me , what are wa handles, japanese?

[@Simplelittlelife]

Yeah it's kind of the name for these type of handles typically found on Japanese blades. I'm not sure if there is anything that specifically makes them a wa handle but that's what they're called in the knife-making community and no one really seams to disagree with it.

[@tjay1305]

“Wa” or kanji “和” just refers to Japanese-styled items. For example: wagyu (和牛) literally just means “Japanese beef”. The term “yo” refers to Western-styled counterparts. For handles it generally refers to the removable (typically) wooden handles on Japanese knives, as I’m sure most people here know, in various shapes and materials… I believe it’s a Western thing to have put epoxy in the handle and make it “permanent” but glad the consensus is changing, at least from the discussion in this videos comments.

[@tonyelbows8045]

rat tail tangs dont seen strong to me. I wouldnt buy a knife with them.