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handle material

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DanaM:
billmac a good source of cheap leather and other stuff is St. Vincent de Paul stores, Goodwill stores,
rummage sales or any type of place that sells clothes for cheap. I bought leather coats for $5 at
St Vincents. Look for coats, boots purses etc. Also look for silk and linen for backings.

I just bought a roll of hemp cord at wally world for $5 it will make lots of handles. I wrap the handle
then use thinned down elmers(white) glue to soak it when it dries the cord is locked down, then I give
it a couple coats of spar varnish.

DanaM

Hillbilly:
Pat makes some really nice handle wraps from rattan cane.

Pat B:
Rattan caning works very well. I have also used cotton cordage and hemp cordage and like the results from all. I usually set any cordage handles with Massey finish(2ton epoxy thinned with acetone). As long as you seal real well wood glues work fine too but is they are not well sealed they get tacky with sweat from your hands.   Pat

Dale:
Get a piece of wool or another type of heavy cloth.  Cut a section about 1 to 1 1/2" wide by 24 to 30" long (approximate).  Start at the top of the handle section and spiral wrap the material down the handle.  When you have about 6 inches left in the handle wrap material tuck it into the material already wrapped down the handle.  The nice thing about using cloth for a handle wrap, besides the price, is that you can get different colors.  A red wool spiral wrapped handle looks pretty cool.

jkekoni:
Handle wrapping is not needed, if you do not need it to keep glued handle together.
(If you however do, then it needs to be rawhide or linen or similar. Leather is just
for comfort and decoration.)

If you do not want to it be primitive you can use anything that is used for sport equipments.

Cork is one substanse that makes the handle softer, but you need to wrap something over it
to keep it durable.

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