Modifying a Cold Steel Laredo Bowie?

[Joe Demko]

I bought one of these for cheap off Ebay about a year ago. In most ways, it is a nice knife. One big flaw, though: no lanyard hole. Now, if you've ever had a big knife or machete go sailing out of your hand when in vigorous, sweaty use, you know how useful a wrist loop can be. The Laredo has a coffin-shaped handle made from some kind of resin impregnated wood. The enclosed tang runs up the middle of the hande and there is a brass nut threaded on to it and finished flush with the butt of the knife. Those of you familiar with stick-tang knives know what I mean. This method of construction means I can't just drill a hole through the center of the handle close to the butt.
Any ideas? Hso? You're more than reasonably clever when it comes to knives.

 

[CWL]

Any chance you can find out from CS how wide the tang metal really is?

If the tang is too narrow to drill a lanyard hole thru it, your only other option is to drill an off-center hole. Depending on how thick & wide the tang is, you may even be able to cut a little ways into the side of the tang (half moon) without harming the integrity of the knife design.

 

[Jason_G]

Is there enough handle material above or, preferably, below the tang to drill a small hole? If the handle is Dymondwood (which it sounds like) I would think even a strip of material a few mm thick would resist breaking.

Jason

 

[hso]

JD,

Tape it off and clamp it onto a drill press. I'd drill the thing just behind the guard, yes a forward lanyard hole, and then get a hollow rivet from knifekits.com and just set the thing. Carbide or diamond bit, go slow, counter sink for the hollow rivet ferrul and you should be good to go.

 

[Joe Demko]

Hso,
You got me to thinking with the idea of a forward lanyard hole. I've seen knives with the guard drilled for lashing the knife to a pole for use as a makeshift spear. Drilling the guard would be much less of a PITA than drilling the handle. How does putting that forward lanyard hole in the guard strike you?

 

[hso]

Hole in guard? Hmmmm, that could work. Keep it as close to the midline as possible and you should have a good lanyard setup.

The cutting competition guys changed from back side holes to forward holes for safety. They found that guys that had the knife get away from them had this sharp piece of steel at the end of a line whipping around with the most momentum possible. They say that by putting the lanyard hole up front the knife doesn't flail around.

 

[borrowedtime69]

might be alot of trouble

i tried drilling through a Cold steel knife handle a couple of months ago. i first tried a regualr cabon bit and that didnt even scratch the surface. then i tried an expensive cobalt bit that was made for drilling through carbon steel. all it did was put a tiny dent in it where the very tip of the bit was. if anyone knows what else i can buy locally to get through high carbon steel, please let me know, thanks -Eric

 

[Jason_G]

i tried drilling through a Cold steel knife handle a couple of months ago.

With a drill press or a drill? One is much easier than the other...

Jason

 

[Joe Demko]

Next question, put the lanyard through the upper quillion or the lower? As I try to picture using it, the upper seems the better choice.

 

[hso]

Upper

 

[coelacanth]

why not. . . . .

just take the cap nut off the threaded tang and either modify the existing nut or replace it with something suitable for attaching a lanyard?

 

[Joe Demko]

Because removing the nut isn't a trivial task, by any means. The nut is put into place before the handle is finished. During the shaping and finishing stages, the nut is ground along with the handle material. When done, the nut is smooth, polished, and completely flush with the handle material. There is no slot or other way to get a tool on it remaining.

 

[coelacanth]

ahh . . . . . .

the old "...don't try this at home kids, I'm a professional knifemaker." trick, eh? Still - if the pommel is the best place for the lanyard ( and IMHO it is - especially for a large knife ) it might be worth figuring out how to do it. I have handled a few knives with the lanyard attached at the quillion and the larger they are the more I get the idea that if you really do lose your grip the lanyard may serve you up a heaping helping of point or edge rather than handle. Anyway - just my $.02 worth. Good luck, bro.

 

[pendentive]

a nice pair of carpenter gloves (grippy, yet fitted) would go a long way.



that said...I think there's enough room below the tang nut to drill a 1/4" hole for a lanyard.

For reference, see this pic:

If it were me, I'd drill the hole at the "coffin" end of the handle...right above the "angle" in the handle butt...and center it between the tang and the outside of the handle. I'm sure the tang is the diameter of the inner circle you see in the above pic.