Manche et fourreau pour lame de couteau Sisu Frostclaw 70

Sisu Frostclaw 70 is one of the most beautiful knife blades I have made handles for. It is stainless, sharp and tough. This set of files contains small and big handles and a clip-on sheath for the big handle. The handles are relatively easy to make and fasten reliably. Required material is listed in the instructions.

SISU is a Finnish word and means extraordinary determination in the face of extreme adversity, and courage that is presented typically in situations where success is unlikely. It expresses itself in taking action against the odds, and displaying courage and resoluteness in the face of adversity; in other words, deciding on a course of action, and then adhering to it even if repeated failures ensue. It is in some ways similar to equanimity, though SISU entails an element of stress management (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisu).

The above describes also the character of my former boss, to whom I made this as a farewell present.

Materials:

The blade can be obtained from Brisa: https://www.brisa.fi/en/sisu-frostclaw-70. I have no affiliation to Brisa. I just like their shop and have ordered nearly all my blades from Brisa.

Two stainless screws with nuts: M4x12 for the small handle, M4x16 for the big handle.

Clear sealant. I prefer sealant intended for fishing lures, since it is waterproof and tough. Be sure to get enough of it (1 liter can), because the finished handle will be dipped into it several times. If you have a choice, I recommend sealant intended for wooden or plastic lures, because the one intended for metal lures is very hard and may crack.

If you make the sheath, spray can of clearcoat. The sheath is not dipped in the sealant, but only its outside is coated with sprayed clearcoat. The one intended for cars is good and cheap.

CA glue, which does not dry instantly.

Tools:

Nothing special. For the big handle, one screw clamp or equivalent is needed to compress the rear of the handle during glueing.

Printing of the parts:

For the small handle, you need two sides. For the big one, two sides, the insert and the sheath.

If the knife is not exposed to excess heat, the handle can be made of PLA. For heat-tolerance, I recommend ASA or PETG. The sheath should be made of soft PETG, since it has to be somewhat flexible in order to clip easily on/off the handle. It you make it of hard PLA, it may be difficult to remove the sheath once clipped on the handle (don’t ask me why I know). I made the sheath of ColorFabb nGen. Print the sheath in its default position with s.

I printed the parts with Ender 3 S1, using 0.4 mm nozzle.

Handle sides: Printed in PLA with 0.12mm layers, 0.36mm line width, 5 walls, 5 bottom layers, 8 top layers, 33% infill.
Insert: Same as sides, but 5 top layers.
Sheath: Printed in soft PETG with 0.2mm layers, 0.36mm line width, 10% infill, 2 walls, 5 bottom layers and 5 top layers.

Construction:

Construction will be done one side at a time. The instructions are for the big handle. The small one follows the same steps but is simpler, since it has no insert.

Initially sand the sides and paint the SISU text with metallic gold. Final painting is done after the first layer of the clearcoat. Test that the insert fits firmly in place.

Push nuts in the holes of one side. This side will be glued first. The nuts should fit firmly, but if they are loose, fix them with glue. Spread CA glue on the correct side of the handle section of the blade. Attach the side and guide it in place with the screws. When aligned, tighten the screws and let the glue dry.

Spread CA glue on the location of the insert and glue the insert in place. Press it firmly down. Let dry. If after gluing the insert protrudes the steel, sand it even.

Remove the screws. Spread CA glue on the remaining side of the handle and on the insert. Glue the other side of the handle in place, guiding it with the screws. Align it and tighten the screws. Use a clamp to compress the rear of the handle.

Loosen one screw, but let is stay in place. Apply CA glue on the threads of the nut and tighten the screw well. Repeat on the other screw.

Finishing and painting of the handle:

Sand the handle as needed. If you wand to hide the screws, fill and sand the holes.

Finish the painting of SISU text. Any additional painting and decoration is done after the handle has been dipped in the sealant once.

Dip the finished handle in clear sealant. IMPORTANT: After dipping, let the sealant drip until it stops and a sticky half-drop is hanging at the end of the handle. Then rotate the knife in different directions in your hands as long as the sealant is in a flowing form before it hardens. Watch the surface to make sure the sealant settles evenly without flow traces. Never touch the handle in this phase!

Paint and decorate the handle according to your taste. I drybrushed the handle lightly with metallic red and pearl red and added a very small amount of gold glitter flakes.

Dip the finished handle 4 more times in clear sealant, letting it dry in between. If the cord hole of the handle becomes filled, bore it open before the last dip.

Do not insert the handle in the sheath at once! Let the finished knife rest, for several days, for the sealant to harden well. If the handle feels too slippery, wet sand it slightly.

Painting and finishing of the sheath:

The sheath is painted basically in the same way as the handle, but spray coat is used, and only on the outside.