Handle problem on slip joint

H

Holland Bramlitt

Well-Known Member
I have made two slip joints with ironwood from arizona ironwood and both pieces have shrunk down a little past the bolsters. I worked them slow and tried my best to not get the bolsters to hot, and they were both smooth with the bolsters and on the second one I even let it sit over night before I finished it dow to the bolster and they still shrunk down past the bolsters. Any one have any idea what happened or what I can do to fix this problem if so I thank you in advance.
 
If you recently acquired the wood from somewhere else it can take a while for it to acclimate. Most woods will move as their moisture level and temperature change, and stabilization is about the only thing that really works consistently to mitigate (but not eliminate) this problem. DI usually isn't too bad, but I had it crack once on a really nice knife about 2 weeks after delivery just because of environment changes.
 
Travis I have had the wood for about six months or so and have gotten ironwood from them before but used it for fix blades and have never had this problem. The slip joint I finished this weekend was dead flush with the 416 stainless bolsters that I soldered on and they have shrunk quite a bit. Thanks for the information. Could it be from sanded the scales thinner on a slip joint rather than leaving them a litter thicker on the fix blades or not?
 
I think that's definitely it. Most of the wood I've had shrink bad I also had for a long time. The DI I had crack I'd actually had for nearly a year! When you remove bulk from the outside it 1) changes the internal stresses and 2) exposes new wood to the air. I think both of these things can make wood move. The only solutions I know of are to 1) grind it back flush after you wait a while for it to "settle" or 2) start over. This is why lots of makers have a disclaimer on their website or invoice or both about the tendency of natural materials to move. I've only ever had the problem with fixed blades because I've only made 2 folders and 1 had G10.

BTW, that little damascus folder you posted a while back was SICK!
 
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