Troy Flanders of Flanders Forge uses an old technique of leather stacking on knife handles. He says, “Leather stacking was popular in the early 1900's probably derived from using the leftover leather from the sheath. I use it on hunting and camp knives, it gives a nice classic look, and when the knife is used on a cold day, the handle feels warm”.
Troy says, "There's no secret on how to make leather stacked handles; it is fairly straightforward". Here is how he does it.
He takes the remaining leather from the sheaths and cuts it into washer-sized shapes, and makes the center hole the size of his tang. He fits enough of them along the tang to fill the handle or a portion of it. Often, he will use leather in combination with antler or other materials.
Troy cautions that at this point the thing to remember is to take the air out of the leather. There are two ways to do that.
Wet – put all the washers into a bucket of water and let all the air bubbles come out. Then put them on a press, clamp or vice and squeeze the water out of them. Let them dry before you use them.
Dry – put all the washers in a press or vice and squeeze them until all of the air is removed. This is the technique that Troy uses now and finds it is effective.
Once all of the air is out, the washers can be put on the tang, securing each one with glue. He then squeezes them tightly together, and in most cases, he uses a piece of antler as the pommel, which is pinned. Once the glue is fully dry, the handle can be shaped like any other material.
See Troy's Leather Stacked Handles at Flanders Forge - https://www.facebook.com/flandersforgecanada/
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