Bergiesher Lowe Woe

I have a BL. The steel is really nice steel. But alas, that little plastic thingy that sits over the shank broke. OK, who am I kidding. It was moving around alot and I got so sick of it and I cut the damn thing off. So, maybe not really a restoration question. But I need something to go back on to hold onto. The blade itself doesn't have a single groove to grasp on to. I'm frustrated enough to sell the thing, but I thought I'd ask for ideas first. I'm thinking of some of that dunkable plastic, but don't know how I might use it.


Any ideas?

Take a diamond rat tail file and score it yourself? Put the grooves in. If you're nervous about making it look good, maybe Bill would be interested in the job? Either that or shrink tubing...get some that's big enough to stretch over the handle, cut it to the length you need, and slide on and shrink. I'd be careful with that though. Moisture could hide under there. The stuff you melt and dunk....that could work, but you'll probably have to remove the blade from the handle to do it. Than tape what you don't want covered and dunk. Remove the tape before it fully sets, then re-pin.

HEY another very easy idea, but it might not look too snazzy....get some of that traction tape, like you stick in the bottom of a bathtub or on top of a skateboard, trim two narrow strips and apply to the top and underside of the tang where you grip the razor. If you are neat enough it would look OK I think, plus no worries about rust forming under it.

Jeff

There's probably many materials you could use. You could wrap it with silk thread or the stuff K-bar uses on their knife handles. You could also use wire to wrap it. Whatever you use a little epoxy to seal the ends and your done.

I've had my eye on the Bergische Lowe and I always wondered what that piece of black material was. I wonder how many other BL owners have had problems with that piece moving around or wearing out.

thebigspendur has the easiest solution short of taking the blade off of the scales. Something that looks nice is fly-fishing line. You could also use the round wax line you find in leather shops. There are good ways to tie the knot on the underside of the tang so it can't be seen.

Start with a 2-inch tag end (loose end) of a foot long line on the scale side of the tang so it runs underneath the tang. Go past where you want the material to stop and make a 1-inch loop. Come back toward the tag end on the underside. Start wrapping the line CW or CCW from the starting point of your choice and move the wrapping toward the blade. Keep wrapping for the length you want. Run the end of the line through the loop you made on the blade side.

Pull the first tag end on the scale side to cinch the loop against the last row of your wrap. Making sure every thing is snug and in place, pull the loop into the wrap around half way into the wrap on the bottom side using the tag end. Use lightweight hobby pliars to do the pulling.

Once that is done, cut both ends of the line close to the wrap using a hobby razor knife or such. This can be done in a few minutes and you can change the look as often as you want by cutting it off and starting over. Was all that as clear as mud?

Thanx guys, thats great advice.