I'm pretty sure those are "cutler" rivets....which means the heads are larger then the shanks. Your going to wreck the current handle material no matter what, but I would grind the heads off, tap the rivets out with a punch of some type, then replace with the handle material of your choice.....using epoxy and 1/8" or 3/32" pins.
The way I would do it is to ensure the tang of the knife and the handle slabs are perfectly flat, place a handle slab on the tang.....drill through the existing tang holes for the pin size you're using (remember that you have to use a slightly larger drill bit.....a 1/8" pin will not fit into a 1/8" hole....they are the same size! For 1/8" pin use a #30 drill bit, and for 3/32" pins use a #41 drill bit.
Put the handle scales together, and using the one you just drilled (the one you just used on the knife tang to locate the holes) as a template for drilling through the other scale. Using the correct pin size, pin the two handle slabs together (remember to keep the insides in, and the outsides out on the handle scales). Just slide pins through and then finish off the FRONT of the handle scales as you want them (one on the knife, it's impossible to work on the front of the handle scales). Once that is done, using a good, slow set epoxy, glue the scales to the knife tang, including the pins. Use pony clamps, or GENTLY if your using "C" clamps. Let the epoxy cure overnight, then finish everything down to your liking, pins and all.
It's not going to matter if the holes in the tang are larger then the pins you use.....if you use a quality epoxy it will be all the "hold" you'll need. Personally I will only use Brownells Acraglass for knife handles, simply because most commercial epoxies are engineered to last for only 5 years, then they start breaking down.....Acraglass has a guaranteed 50 year hold life.
Last edited by Ed Caffrey; 02-14-2013 at 11:57 AM.
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