Jade Knife Scales ?

[Johnch]

A friend just finished Heat Treating a couple of D2 knife blades for me
I spent a while shaping the blades
So now I need to start the finish work

I had a idea
As I want to make a carry knife
That is as much for the looks as it is to use

OK , I know it will add weight
But I know where to buy thin slabs of Green Jade

3 questions
Will Jade hold up to being used as scales for a knife ?
I worry if it would chip or crack

Also if I make knife scales
Would the Jade hold up to being checkered ?
As I had the idea to add several areas of checkering to the jade
I figure I could use a diamond cutter in the milling machine to cut the checkering

Question 3
Your thoughts ?
I was thinking of drilling holes and making brass Chicago screws to hold the scales on
But would you also add a thin layer of epoxy also ?
I know if I add the epoxy the scales will not be able to be removed
But I am not sure if just 2 Chicago screws would hold the scales
Without possibly the scales cracking

Thanks

John

[swamp]

I would use epoxy on them. I think the screws would work as long as not too much pressure was on the scales themselves. Should be very fancy with the polished jade. Hopefully they will hold up to the checkering.

Post some pics of them when you get them finished. Are you going to high polish the blade?

swamp

[david s]

I wouldn't expect the jade scales to accept flexing or bending. You would also need to take care when drilling holes for pins. Finally jade can be carved so checking would be doable. It might give the scales a built-in fail line to follow through.

[blackriver]

I have many years experience as a custom jeweler and a bladesmith. Not gonna say it can’t be done, but it is going to be an uphill battle the entire time. Jade is a very brittle stone and difficult to work with. If you are going to try it, order plenty of extra material.

[Mk42gunner]

Another vote for epoxy to hold the scales on.

As for Jade being a good choice? It will probably work, right up until you drop the knife the first time. Or bang it into something. For a dressup knife, it may be okay but I don't think it is a good choice for a working knife.

Robert

[farmbif]

do you want a practical knife to use or something for show to maybe put in a frame and take out when you get drunk with your friends and tell them all about how you made it. just my little opinion but it would probably crack before using it too much unless you really babied it and was very careful.
if you want something practical get canvas micarta scales.

[Sasquatch-1]

If you are going to be carrying this knife and using it, why not get some castable resin and dye and pour a set of scales to look like jade. I figure you can probably get a lot of resin for the cost of jade.

[country gent]

I would also use a thin layer of epoxy, nit so much to glue the scales on but to make a very accurate matching surface for the scales to be fully supported when attached. Fully supported with no voids will be much more durable.

[Rapier]

I make 1911 grips, not knife scales. What I have found is pretty natural material and long term wear do not go together well. so when I make a set of grips, I make a set for dress or show, then I also make a set for actual use, a shooting set. Just a suggestion.

[1hole]

I use my fixed blade knives. Jade scales would be much too brittle for my tastes.

[Scrounge]

A friend just finished Heat Treating a couple of D2 knife blades for me
I spent a while shaping the blades
So now I need to start the finish work

I had a idea
As I want to make a carry knife
That is as much for the looks as it is to use

OK , I know it will add weight
But I know where to buy thin slabs of Green Jade

3 questions
Will Jade hold up to being used as scales for a knife ?
I worry if it would chip or crack

Also if I make knife scales
Would the Jade hold up to being checkered ?
As I had the idea to add several areas of checkering to the jade
I figure I could use a diamond cutter in the milling machine to cut the checkering

Question 3
Your thoughts ?
I was thinking of drilling holes and making brass Chicago screws to hold the scales on
But would you also add a thin layer of epoxy also ?
I know if I add the epoxy the scales will not be able to be removed
But I am not sure if just 2 Chicago screws would hold the scales
Without possibly the scales cracking

Thanks

John

There are thousands of pre-historic knives made entirely of jade. Also axe and adze blades. Mostly Chinese, but not entirely. New Zealand and NW USA also. Jade is tough and fibrous. Personally, I'm looking for some black jade to make grips for my Turkish 1911. I was very into lapidary arts as a young man, wanted very badly to learn to carve jade and some other stones. Still have some books on the subject.

https://www.christies.com/features/Archaic-jade-carvings-from-the-worlds-greatest-collections-9655-1.aspx Down the page is a ge, aka a dagger axe. It's the blade for a pole arm. I'm thinking that it can't be that fragile, or wouldn't have been use for such purposes. Jade hammer stones aren't uncommon, either. Not as tough as bronze or iron, of course.

Bill

[gwpercle]

Cracking would be a possibility as jade is brittle but some things you could do .
Epoxy slabs into place would take some of the stress from bolts alone .
Use slow curing epoxy not quick set ...slow cure is stronger bonding .
Be careful tightening bolts so no undue stress in placed in slabs .
Jade has copressive strength but not of warping or bending strength .
If you checker with flat topped diamonds it will hold up (and be easier to do) than trying to do pointed topped diamonds . Use a rater wide spaced checkering pattern and they should hold up and not chip off .
Good Luck and post "after" photo's !
Gary

[Wayne Smith]

John, have you handled any knives before? If you are a newbie at this don't start with something brittle or problematic. Get a junk knife or two and practice with some relatively nice hard wood and see how you do. Hand or power tools, and I think with stone you will want power but go very slow.

The other side of this is have you done any lapidary? Have you ground stone before? Again, before you start something nice practice first - and look into the equipment you will need to do this. It is not woodworking! You will be using wet diamond stones to grind and polish. It is slow work.

[Markopolo]

I have many years experience as a custom jeweler and a bladesmith. Not gonna say it can’t be done, but it is going to be an uphill battle the entire time. Jade is a very brittle stone and difficult to work with. If you are going to try it, order plenty of extra material.

This is a voice of wisdom. Jade is very brittle.

[Wayne Smith]

There is true Jade and there is another stone that is close to it but not true Jade. I think true Jade is less brittle than the other stone, but I'm not sure. I know true Jade is more rare.

[Johnch]

Well I will have to do a bit of testing with the small slab of Jade I have

As the Jade slab I was looking at was only $45
But if it would crack easy
I don't want to throw the cash away

Thanks

John

[Bwana John]

There is true Jade and there is another stone that is close to it but not true Jade. I think true Jade is less brittle than the other stone, but I'm not sure. I know true Jade is more rare.

Jadeite ( NaAlSi₂O₆ or Na(Al,Fe³⁺)Si₂O₆) and nepherite ( Ca2(Mg, Fe)5 Si8 O22(OH)2)

I would try serpentine (Mg,Fe,Ni, Mn,Zn)2-3 (Si,Al,Fe)2 O5 (OH)4 for knife scales.... another mineral often mistakenly called "jade"

[Wayne Smith]

Jadeite ( NaAlSi₂O₆ or Na(Al,Fe³⁺)Si₂O₆) and nepherite ( Ca2(Mg, Fe)5 Si8 O22(OH)2)

I would try serpentine (Mg,Fe,Ni, Mn,Zn)2-3 (Si,Al,Fe)2 O5 (OH)4 for knife scales.... another mineral often mistakenly called "jade"

Thank you Bwana John. I didn't want to bother LOML for the details, and though a Geologist she would probably have to look them up.