Birch bark handle

[spegar]

I was watching youtube where people used birch bark for knife handle and I though that would bee cool as a brush handle.
I brought home a plastic bag of birch bark from our summer cabin. Cleaning the white stuff from the bark was slow and much work and then cut them into round shape and starter to glue them together with wood glue.
I dont have a lathe so I used my disc sander and eyeballed it into shape.
The knot is cheap 30mm synthetic from China.
Ill coat the handle with Osmo color oilwax which is colored as light oak.

Ill post the result when Iam done with the coating and the knot is glued on.

 

[Mike H]

Genius! And that is amazing free hand work.

 

[Ad Astra]

Now THAT's cool!

Reminds me of a Ka-Bar handle ...


AA

 

[spegar]

if you are going to make one with birch bark use thichkest bark you have. The paper thin ones dont give any size or spots.

first layer of Osmo color

after the first coat sets good I'll give it some sanding and then apply more coats.

 

[DCRIII]

That's pretty cool!

 

[pork]

Whoa...that’s brilliant. Great job!

 

[ajkel64]

Well done, that is going to be a nice brush when you are finished.

 

[John Rose]

That's as cool as those pine cones in resin handles.

Does the glue penetrate the bark enough so that it doesn't delaminate?
On a knife the layers of bark would have the tang running through them and the pommel and guard would clamp them together.

 

[spegar]

I have no idea how it will hold up, Ill let you know if it breaks.

 

[ajkel64]

You might need to give it a coat of polyurethane to waterproof it.

 

[Graydog]

Very Nice ,now you should buy the Muhle Roca Razor with the Birch bark handle

 

[Hoka Hey]

I’ve thought about doing the same thing after seeing some gorgeous fly rod handles made out of birchbark. It’s fairly soft, so I do wonder how it holds up. Hope it works out!

Muhle made one with a metal top and base.

 

[CigarSmoka]

That’s awesome!

 

[spegar]

Its been few days since the last coat of that oilwax and it still abit sticky. Ill wait until it is not sticky at all and then decide if I apply something else on it.

Birch bark itself is pretty waterproof but maybe I should have used some better glue.

 

[Hoka Hey]

Its been few days since the last coat of that oilwax and it still abit sticky. Ill wait until it is not sticky at all and then decide if I apply something else on it.

Birch bark itself is pretty waterproof but maybe I should have used some better glue.

View attachment 893323

The little bit I read on making fly rod handles, they recommended 2 part epoxy as adhesive.

 

[emwolf]

color me impressed

 

[BigJ]

LOVELY!!

 

[KellyG]

That is really nice!

 

[Lszabo]

Hello,
@spegar how is the birch bark handle holding up? I am thinking about giving this material a go. Thanks