Wood/Epoxy Chef Knife Handle

I started with measuring the dimensions of the original knife handle and where the rivet holes would be. I decided on using Koa wood for the handle and had a few blanks to work with just in case mistakes were made.The blanks I had were 1" thick so I actually ended up cutting one in half to have two 1/2" thick pieces to work with. Then I marked where the rivet holes would be and drew on the design I wanted for the epoxy. I was going for a wavy mountain range look. This will be the negative space that will ultimately be carved out. I then used my Milwaukee rotary tool with a round carving bit to remove the negative space down to about 1/8" from the bottom or inside of the blanks.

I used Alumilite's mold putty to make the mold for epoxy pouring. It's a 1:1 ration which made it easy but only has about a 3 min working window so working with a sense of urgency is recommended. I formed it around the blank with some thickness for a tight and strong fit. It only needs to set for about 15-20 min before being able to work with the mold.

Next I used Super Glaze epoxy resin mixed at a 1:1 ratio first adding the pigment powder before mixing in the hardener/activator. Not much epoxy is needed as you are just filling in the negative space. I used Artisan Pigment's ocean blue with a bit of cobalt blue. Adding a bit at a time and keeping in mind "less is more". As long as you haven't mixed in the hardener/activator, you have plenty of time to experiment with the color. Once I got the color I was happy with, I mixed in the hardener/activator and used a toothpick to dab some of the epoxy along all the sides to remove any surface tension. I then poured to where it was just slightly more than level, as when it cures it will shrink slightly. I used my butane torch to run over it quickly to remove any air bubbles. And then let it sit to cure overnight.

After the epoxy is cured, I then shaped the handle to how ergonomic I wanted it to be. I like the look of octagonal handles but I figured if I was going to custom make this handle for a knife I always use, I might as well had made it custom to my hand. I then drilled the rivet holes and lined up the blanks to where they would sit on the knife. I used clamps to put the rivets in. Then holding the knife, I marked the points where I could remove material for it to be more comfortable and formed to my hand. This was mostly around the area of the palm around my thumb and the bottom of the handle where my fingers would grip. I wanted it to be ergonomic, but still retain as much of the wood/epoxy as possible. Then it was time to sand away material until it felt formed comfortably to my hand. I started with 80 grit and worked my way up. I avoided using sandpaper on the epoxy until I was up to about 240 grit. Then went up to 400 grit on the epoxy then switched to an ultra fine steel wool.

Once it was all beautiful and smooth I polished the epoxy with a general buffing compound and finished the wood with a couple coats of mineral oil/beeswax wood finish.

This ended up taking a bit more time than I expected to complete but overall I was pretty happy with how it turned out, especially with it being a first-go for me. This knife is atleast a couple decades old so I was glad to be able to give it a modern upgrade.