A thread to reveal fixed blade hidden tangs...

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So, this is a post/thread I felt would be of help in revealing those "tangs" that are hidden in a knife's handle.

What gave me this idea was, the many times that I've seen hidden tang fixed blade knives and wondered what those tangs actually look like and... what method was used to keep it secured to their handles?

I figured maybe if a post/thread is started here, we, as a group of traditional knife owners, can contribute to revealing these tangs.
I still get surprised by what I sometimes find online, since there are oh so many ways that a hidden tang is done.

I will start with a knife that I actually do not own, but one that did surprise me in it's hidden tang method when I came across photos of it online.
This would be Case' classic XX Bowie Knife.
The handle on these knives are usually the white or black synthetic material.
By looking at one from the exterior, one would guess that the three brass rivets in the handle would all be going through the tang to secure it. Well, based on this photo of just the blade, the tang only has one hole that likely has one of the rivets going through it during assembly, while the other two rivets would seemingly only be there for aesthetics.
I don't know if the handle is molded directly onto the tang, or if the handle is pre-formed and possibly glued onto the tang, and then the installation of the one brass through rivet. So, some questions are still not answered by this photo, but the model's tang is revealed...




So, if you folks have some photos you can share to reveal the hidden tangs on traditional fixed blade knives... Please share with us to help take the mystery out of them.
👍😊👍
 
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These I do have in my collection.
They are 100+ year old Nepalese military Kukri knives.
The first is in complete form, while the other is the blade only, showing the tang.
These knives had their handle assembly done by heating up a natural glue, (called "Laha" that they extracted from a certain type of tree), and used it to secure the handle onto the tang. This was the traditional way it was done.


 
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So, this is a post/thread I felt would be of help in revealing those "tangs" that are hidden in a knife's handle.

What gave me this idea was, the many times that I've seen hidden tang fixed blade knives and wondered what those tangs actually look like and... what method was used to keep it secured to their handles?

I figured maybe if a post/thread is started here, we, as a group of traditional knife owners, can contribute to revealing these tangs.
I still get surprised by what I sometimes find online, since there are oh so many ways that a hidden tang is done.

I will start with a knife that I actually do not own, but one that did surprise me in it's hidden tang method when I came across photos of it online.
This would be Case' classic XX Bowie Knife.
The handle on these knives are usually the white or black synthetic material.
By looking at one from the exterior, one would guess that the three brass rivets in the handle would all be going through the tang to secure it. Well, based on this photo of just the blade, the tang only has one hole that likely has one of the rivets going through it during assembly, while the other two rivets would seemingly only be there for aesthetics.
I don't know if the handle is molded directly onto the tang, or if the handle is pre-formed and possibly glued onto the tang, and then the installation of the one brass through rivet. So, some questions are still not answered by this photo, but the model's tang is revealed...




So, if you folks have some photos you can share to reveal the hidden tangs on traditional fixed blade knives... Please share with us to help take the mystery out of them.
👍😊👍

These I do have in my collection.
They are 100+ year old Nepalese military Kukri knives.
The first is in complete form, while the other is the blade only, showing the tang.
These knives had their handle assembly done by heating up a natural glue, (called "Laha" that they extracted from a certain type of tree), and used it to secure the handle onto the tang. This was the traditional way it was done.


Those are some disappointing tangs.
I'm glad I have the Western Bowie instead of the Case.
 
This is why I wanted to start this thread, guys... I kind'a knew that there would be surprises for us all.
I am hoping that this thread will get a fair amount of participation, because I'm genuinely interested in seeing all sorts of hidden tangs being revealed here.
I know some will be common knowledge to knife folks, but I would wager that a lot of hidden tangs are still a mystery to us.
Thanks in advance for any additions you can put up on this subject 👍😊👍
 
View attachment 1630323
The fact that Coldsteel uses a piece of crimped cable on a knife I see selling online for over 400 bucks....or that I have a 20 dollar Chinese made Schrade Bowie that is full tang should surprise me. But it dont😒Post in thread 'Cold Steel Laredo Bowie: SK5 vs San Mai III Tang Type....' https://www.bladeforums.com/threads...s-san-mai-iii-tang-type.1171865/post-14100048
I'm surprised that for CS prices you don't get a real through-tang. Too bad; it's a very cool blade.
 
How interesting. I wonder what the special purpose of this kind of tang design might be.... if not just to be different?
 
Yeah, that tang looks plenty strong enough to be a knife tang. :thumbsup:
 
I wonder the same thing, and have for a long time.

To me it seems manufacturing related.

It allows them to do a handle setup like this that's consistantly easy to do.


I also think it could potentially in some way prove better for the life of the handle material than a narrow straight or stick/ rat tail tang running through a hole.
 
Here is a snip of the visual part of the patent for Western Boulder's bifurcated tang knives.View attachment 1630585

How interesting. I wonder what the special purpose of this kind of tang design might be.... if not just to be different?

I wonder the same thing, and have for a long time.
The story I've heard is that the H-washers in the forked tang were to avoid O-washers on a through-tang splitting when the tang swells with rust. Which I've seen a few times in Kabars and non-forked Westerns.
 
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