Fixin' Grandpa's knife

[portugeejn]

I have my Grandpa's old hunting knife, and the handle has started to get loose.  What is the best way to tighten it back up?  It has the brass slotted nut that screws onto the tang and holds the on pommel (I think that is what it is called) and the grip, etc.  It has some staining on the blade, but it is all honest!  

I could tighten the nut but then it would have to be filed down and polished to match the curve.  I could take it apart and put another layer of something in to tighten it up.  Glue?  I really don't have an idea of the right way to go about a repair like this.  And I really like the knife and want to keep using it.

It looks like this, but this is a picture I got from the net, not the exact knife.
     

Thanks!

RonP

[OconeeDan]

Ron, you may be able to disassemble and add a washer so that it'll tighten up well.  If you decide to go that route I can mail you some small pieces of vulcanized fiber that is used for washer and liner material.  You can cut it with scissors.
Then you need to file it smooth, sand with progressively finer sandpapers until you get to about 800 grit, then you can buff if you want to.
I suspect the antler has shrunk over the years but that is a guess.
This may be completely the wront way to go about it so if anyone else has done this before (and I have not), please chime in.
Dan

[Lin Rhea]

I would make sure if I add anything that it matches the rest of the materials. My first inclination would be to tighten it up and file the exess and clean it up real good.

If you actually did take the handle apart, you could go back with a little good epoxy between each layer and this would really firm it all up. Just make sure all of the pieces go in the same order.

During the whole process, wrap the blade in  blue painter's tape to prevent any damage to the blade. Lin

[OconeeDan]

Go with Lin's suggestions first.
Best to keep it as original as possible.
Dan

[portugeejn]

Thanks!  I will go with tightening it up and re-contouring the sharp edges.

RonP