? for you hidden tang makers

[Burchtree]

How do you guys like to go about finishing your hardware? I look at some of your work and I'm amazed at how clean it is. I personally have to struggle making sure things are straight, symetrical, etc. So I gotta ask -- what are some of you guys doing your hardware? (add plenty of pics, I figured this would be a nice tutorial thread).

[LongRifle]

I use a file guide from Uncle Al and a soldering jig to press the guard on. I clamp the blade in the guide and put the whole assembly in a vice. I use a small round file to radius the shoulder and a mill file to create the flat. I measure the tang with a micrometer then mill a slot in the guard slightly smaller.

Check the thread I've got going in the gallery for pics, I'll do an entire run down of my process.

Matt

[NickWheeler]

Argh!!! Mother F'er!!!! I just wrote out this big long post with pics and BF ate it and told me the server's too busy. Piece of $hit!@#$J!$^!$#^!@J%^$^~@

-Nick-

[adammichael]

Originally Posted by NickWheeler

Argh!!! Mother F'er!!!! I just wrote out this big long post with pics and BF ate it and told me the server's too busy. Piece of $hit!@#$J!$^!$#^!@J%^$^~@

-Nick-

Deep breaths.....in through the nose, out through the mouth...Go to your happy place....


Feel better? I hate when that %^&$*ing $)#(^ crashs jst when im about to #$%$^& submit the $#%^ post!!!

[NickWheeler]

Let's try again.

I am a firm believer that a high quality piece with fancy hardware is going to be taken down and put back together a couple hundred times before it's complete. Because of this, I am also firm in using locator pins and/or screws.

Here's a shot of a three piece ferrule. It's wrought iron with two 0.020" ss spacers on either side of it. It's screwed together with 2, 0-80 screws.



Then I drill 1/16" holes for locator pins that will go through the ferrule and into the wood.



Here's the whole thing put together, prior to fluting the hardware and etching it.



And here it is, fittings have been fluted, and then etched/finished off, then reassembled.



Hope this sheds some light for ya' Burch

-Nick-
http://www.wheelerknives.com

[Mark Williams]

I cant give a whole lotta tips Michael, other that to say. Heck yeah on a file guard

Milling the slot would be sweet , but I'm poe.

Your work is looking great my Friend. I'm sure whatever you do will be cool.

[Bruce Evans]

Nick,Are you also putting the locater pins into the back side of the guard to keep all that squared up also?
I have heard more than once that other people were doing that to keep the handle square and in line everytime they assemble and disasemble.Guess I should do that myself but I havent figured out the best way of setting that up.

Bruce

[Terry_Dodson]

Nick, Very nice, and i really like pics how do you flute those?

[NickWheeler]

Here's another shot of it I forgot I had.




Bruce, nope. I just file and then press fit the ferrule so that it won't have any side play at all. In this case, that was the actual wrought iron, as the ss spacer in front was too thin to rely on a repeatable press fit to the tang.

This shows the pieces after being fit... obviously none of these pieces have been profiled yet, nor have they been drilled for the locator pins... just the screws.




Terry... it takes me a couple hours to do one like this, I file everything in. Then it's just a matter of smoothing everything with blocks and sand-paper. It's definitely a tense, tedious job. But I really like the effect when it's complete. It's especially tense because all of the fittings are DONE when I start the fluting. Meaning they've been fit, shaped, and hand-sanded to whatever final grit I'm going to before I start the fluting. Coming at a totally finished ferrule or quard with a chain-saw file is good for increasing blood pressure

Thanks
-Nick-

[ddavelarsen]

Dang Nick I'm working on a multi-part handle right now and I can't believe how much grief you just saved me! You are my freakin Hero!

Michael, thanks for asking a smart question I thought I knew too much to ask.

This place is fantastic. Mark was the maker's commune your idea? Whoever it was, sign me up! If I can get this much out of a buncha folks typing, think what it'd be like watching them work?

[Don Hanson III]

Michael, You've been making some cool stuff, I don't remember seeing any of your knives built this way. I strugle with this part of knife making. My little sherline mill helps with slotting the guard and spacers and a good filling jig for making the shoulders square is priceless. One thing I've learned though is if it ain't right, it ain't right and going ahead and finishing the knife don't make it any better, I learned this the hard way Practice, Practice, Practice

Don Hanson lll

[Guy Thomas]

What Dave said, thanks Nick!

[Don Hanson III]

Hey Nick, VERY COOL,

I had to go back and look at your pics agian. I think I'll give the locator pins a try, should make this part of the knife go a little smoother.

Don Hanson

[Bruce Evans]

Thanks Nick..
I am just trying to figure out a easy way to keep the guard and handle straight and in line when final fit up is done,that is if there is any play in the handle material to the tang.My ferrules are made to slide over the handle material so the pins to the guard was a way I had heard to keep it all lined up,like with a framed handle.

Great thread,
Bruce

[Burchtree]

Crap. It just happened to me too. I'm going to try and remember what I wrote down --

I'm trying to make a conscious effort to start making more bowies -- thus all the questions. Right now I use a mini-mill for slotting -- it seems to work pretty well.

Thanks for the pics Nick -- that is a great idea. That would have fixed one of the problems that came up when I did that last bowie.

When it comes to the faux ferrules/spacers what are some of you guys' tips and tricks for making them nice and symetrical? Also, when you're shaping your handle -- how do you keep from ruining the shape of the ferrule as you're bringing your wood down to the size of the ferrule? Also, what are some of you all's tricks for sculpting handles and keeping them symetrical?

Thanks all -- don't forget pics if you got 'em. I think that about covers all the basics of bowie handle 101

If any of you other guys have any questions about stick-tang handles and hardware -- ask 'em. We can make this a very informative thread.

[J. Shorter]

I do mine simular to way Nick does.
[IMG][/IMG]

Jerry

[dfarmerknives]

This is a great thread. Thanks guys.

[primos]

I use locator/indexing pins as well. The pins go through the spacer into the front of the handle, and into the back of the guard.



Normally the locator pins would not be needed for one of my Montero's. In this case I was doing a textured and fired guard. The locator pins allowed me to shape the guard, spacer and handle together, then disassemble the whole thing.



Once the guard was hammer textured, fileworked, fired and brushed, everything was put back together.

[happycat]

Terry, that is a BEAUTIFUL knife! Thanks for the pics.
Ed

[fisk]

Thanks Ed. I appreciate it.

( Terry on Jerry's computer. )