I would also like to see how to shape the leather discs. I have one that my Uncle Howard carried in Europe in WWII. He was a medic. The knifes is in good shape but the handles gone.

I did, although I don’t think it’s necessary if you are positive that you can get enough compression using the butt end fittings, and if the holes in your leather discs are tight on the tang. Most of the epoxy squeezes out, leaving a very thin layer between the discs. The epoxy was undetectable in the final stage. I soaked the handle in Neatsfoot oil and the leather handle felt amazingly seamless and supple. No ridges or hard edges from the epoxy at all.