Checkering G10.

Austin Thrasher

Austin Thrasher

Well-Known Member
Has anyone here ever checkered G10? I have a customer I’m making a chef and cleaver for that wants G10 handles but wants them textured for grip and would really like them checkered in the style of a gunstock. I’m not sure the best way to try this... I do have a checkering file but definitely don’t want to ruin it if the G10 would screw it up. Someone else has suggested that I lay out my lines and very carefully use a tool engraver to put the checks in. Any tips or ideas? Will the G10 ruin my file? Is there a better way to do it? I could just texture it with a dremel or the small wheel attachment but he specifically asked for the checkered look :p.
 
G-10 will be pretty rough on tooling but it will cut, at least for a while.

Gun stocks aren't checkered with a checkering file. They're done with an array of individual tools......single line cutters, double line cutters, border tools, etc.

It'd be pretty difficult, if not impossible, to get an accurate well done checkering job with only a checkering file.
 
Go to amazon and look up Jimping tool or Jimping file. I looked at those a while back but never pulled the trigger. I would practice , practice and then practice again before I would do it on a knife. Someone on here maybe Kev, does really cool checkered inlays so maybe he will chime in soon.
 
I would try to talk him out of checkering..a coarser finish on G-10 is super grippy anyway...My instinct is checkered G-10 is not going to be lovely like walnut...lol.

I think maybe Gene Kimmi does inlay checkering?
 
Here are the threads where i did the checkered inlays.

Checkered Inlay

I've been wanting to experiment with different things to dress up the handles on my knives. Tonight I had some free time, so I practiced doing an inlay. I cut a groove with a 3/8" end mill then sanded a piece of walnut to fit. Then I decided to try checkering for the first time...
knifedogs.com

GeneK's KITH WIP

With several already started on their KITH knife, I figured I better get going on mine. I think I may have decided on what I'm going to make. These are a couple that I would call my style. The top is my EDC model. The midddle is my biggest seller, a gut hook knife. The bottom one is a new...
knifedogs.com

They take a lot of time to make, but doing an inlay makes it possible to use a checkering file as long as any contours are not too severe.
 
If he really wants grippy then go get a horse stall mat and use that for the handle. It will look like a turd but it will grip well. I have used it on fillet knives in the past.
 
Isn’t g10 pretty tough on files? I’ve worked with a tiny bit of it for a non knife project and it seemed to really chew up my Files quick. That being said they weren’t the best quality files either.
 
The thing about checkering or stippling a culinary knife is that you run the risk of creating unsanitary conditions by giving bacteria little cracks to stick to and hide in.

The only knives you’ll see in professional kitchens with any sort of friction surface on the handles are typically Fibrox-handled Forschners (Victorinox). The plastic handles are made for durability and because they are house knives that will inevitably be run through the dishwasher.

You will have a very hard time finding any high end culinary knives with a textured handle. Aside from butchers breaking down primal cuts, you just don’t grip the handle that way in most cases. Handle geometry is the way to provide a secure grip when necessary. You can look at a culinary knife’s handle shape and get a very good idea of the knife’s intended use. There’s a good reason why kitchen knife handles are all pretty similar for a given type of knife, and it’s because in the world of kitchen knives function reigns supreme. Certain designs work very well.

I’m not trying to dissuade you from doing whatever you want to do, only to bring up some things you may wish to consider.
 
I’ll post up some pics of what I’ve got going on and just make a WIP of it. Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated.
 
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