Knifemaking - Japanese San Mai Tanto - Multi Color Micarta Handle
Home made micarta handle in the traditional style for the Japanese San Mai Tanto.

Handle Details:
-Micarta handle in the traditional Japanese (perfect fin, it can be taken apart) style for the tanto.

Handle making process
Making the micarta with 25 6"x 6" clothings in red, black and orange. I apply resin every two layers. (Picture 1)

Using my new hydraulic press I press the clothings. I use an oiled polietilene film to prevent glueing against the press.
For this micarta, I also added a piece of metal from a windows cover at the bottom to make designs on the finished micarta (this piece of metal was wrapped in film also) (Picture 2)

Here's how the micarta looks when taken out of the press. (Picture 3)

Thanks to the added metal piece, this is how it looks flat, after grinding and polising it. (Pictures 4 and 5)

I got creative cutting and pasting files on the computer so I've lost some pictures, but the process in which I create the handle is exactly the same as the one I used for the two halves for the sheath. The two micarta halves are milled exactly to the shape of the tang and then glued together with some epoxy resin.

Once I have the roughly shaped and glued piece, I grind it and sand it by hand to the exact shape I desire. (Picture 6)

All the pieces (but one) ready to be ensambled. (Pictures 7 and 8)

Beggining of the ensamble. (Picture 9)

Making a double inverted conic shape on a 5mm diameter delrin cylinder with a sandpaper and a drilling machine. The desired center diameter is 4.5mm (Picture 10)

Mekugi ready to be placed in position (with some extra material on one end, so I can hammer it in) (Picture 11)

Positioning the mekugi in place. (Picture 12)

Hammering it. (Picture 13)

Almost finished. (Picture 14)