Can any of you recommend a bladesmith to put a hilt and handle on finished blade?

It's a hidden tang design.
The handle (which I have) is impala.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Garrett

I asked a similar question a while back but still have just a blade.

Good luck.

Gentlemen: Have you ever thought about doing this yourselves? I did many several years ago and to do a nice, decent job, all you need is a good drill, good eye, some files and various grades of sandpaper, emery cloth and some sort of polishing compound, some good epoxy or you can use Brownell's ACRAGLASS, and finally a bit of patience.
There are several suppliers of materials such as brass guards, brass stock to make your own guards, handle materials, etc.
Try looking for these companies on the web:
Texas Knife
K&G knifemaking supplies
Sheffield Knifemaking supplies
Koval
They also have several very inexpensive blades if you want to practice. Give it a try, you will probably get hooked!

quote:

Originally posted by congomike:
Gentlemen: Have you ever thought about doing this yourselves?

Yes, and I have seen some suitable materials at Texas Knife Supply. But I am not particularly good with my hands and my spare time is precious to me, so I have not tried it. The blade was given to me by a knifemaker when I bought another one of his knives and I have not made any progress with it.

I also think a hidden tang is a bit harder to do than fitting scales on a full-tang blade, but I have not done either so I may be mistaken.

Actually, in some ways it is easier to fit a hidden tang as the extra space inside of the handle is taken up with epoxy. With a full tang blade, you have to do more careful fitting, usually with a thin belt sander. Both take about the same amount of time to do a proper job on. Is your impala a solid piece of horn, or is it bandsawn into two scales? Horn and antler can be difficult to drill straight and sometimes you have to use a redhot piece of welding or drill rod to make a suitable hole. If it is scaled, a router can cut the channels easily. What is the style of the blade? Do you already have the brass guard? Is the tang long and threaded for a metal endcap? Is it drilled for pins?
I do a lot of custom handle work, and though I specialize in full tang models, I have also done a few dozen partial tang models. I usually work in very fancy grade woods, but I have also worked with round and scaled deer antlers. I might be willing to do the job if you provide some more info. PM me if interested and we can exchange some photos.

A fellow AR member is a Knifesmith. His handle is MStarling. I will link his website here. He might be able to help you out. Maybe pm him for advice

http://www.mstarling.com/

The guy that made my knives can probably do it. Charles, he's not more than 2 1/2 to 3 hours south of you down hwy 377.
His contact info is:

Mackey Custom Knives & leather accessories
6100 FM 1467 N
Blanket, TX. 76432
(325) 748-3321
(325) 647-5638
The owners are Randel and Kaye Mackey.

quote:

Originally posted by Ryan Campbell:
Charles, he's not more than 2 1/2 to 3 hours south of you down hwy 377.

Thanks for the info.