advise on how to stamp the tang slot when forging handle.

M

montana guy

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Dec 18, 2009
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I am working on my 1st knife and I am trying to go all out on it, so far I have a Damascus blade and finger guard. For the handle I want to make it Damascus also, however I want to make it a one piece handle. My plan is to get down to the final 2 pieces of Damascus and then have a mock tang that I put in between them and after I hammer them the tang slot will be stamped inside the handle making it a solid one piece handle. I have several concerns about this, like getting the mock tang back out once the 2 pieces are forged together being the biggest concern. I have a feeling it is going to be stuck and not want to come out without screwing up the handle or having it break or who knows. I thought about putting my blade in between the 2 pieces but then I would not be able to have a good marriage to finger guard and the handle I am thinking, don't think I am skilled enough yet to hammer something that close to what I want. I hope all of that made some kind of sense :).
So any advise on how to do this with success? Or I am nuts for even thinking this could work? I looked around the forum and the net and I could not find much of anything about it. Any advise or tips are greatly appreciated.
 
I just can't visualize what you're talking about.... I'm trying, I just can't see what you're saying.

A picture/drawing would sure help. :)
 
Montana
i got what you are trying to do..you want to Forge a Tangpocket inside of 2 pieces of damascus Correct ?? im not sure if this will work or not but id Test it out first on "Scrap" create a tang same size/shape out of stainless then try to forge weld 2 pieces of high carbon together around it .. to keep the shape accurate you will probably have to cut the 2 halves with "Pocket's" to accept the tang ,position it prep for Forge weld ,tack weld halves together ,put stainless piece in and bring up to temp ..im thinking beacuse the Stainless has a lot of crome in it it is Least likely to stick to the inside ..i could of course be wrong !! Try it and see ..
 
Why not just drill a hole in the damascus handle block?

Or here is what you can do...
Get down to your last two blocks for the handle, then make them into a spring fuller die. Heat them up and use your mock tang to forge in the tang pocket(maybe make it a little bigger than you want) between them. Then grind them clean on the inside then heat em up again and weld them together. Cut the spring off of them and there ya go.:thumbup:
Mace
 
Pinoy, you have what I want to do exactly, did not think to try the stainless but I will try it and doing the half pocket on either side before I forge it.

Mace, I took a piece of scrap and tried drilling it, my tang is a long and wide one, I broke 3 drill bits trying to drill the hole out, got a mill and vise and could not keep the bit from wondering off to the side, tried to get the holes side by side so I could file it out but that did not work either, using an 1/8th inch bit. I could get holes close to each other but the little space in between them got me. If I could find a long end mill I'd be in business but I cannot find one that long. Can find some that are close and would work if I chopped the tang down some but I am stubborn and don't want to do that....yet. As for a spring fuller die, I had never even heard of one before you mentioned it, looked at them and I think I get what you are saying. Might try it if the other method does not work.

Thanks for the input guys.
 
OK i will be the one to say it, as everyone else has thought it but not spoke up. Why? i mean its your first knife, start with something simple. I'm not knocking you at all or your skills. its just something like this is a bit over the top which is fine but get the basics down first. forge welding is not as easy as you think. i mean its not hard as long as certain things are done. i just want you to not get frustrated with your first knife. And a project like this could frustrate a lot of people. Make a knife that is simple and basic and have fun doing it. Once more I'm not knocking you at all. i just have seen many new people try something way out of there league and get so frustrated and quit. thats what i tell all the people that come to my shop wanting to get into making knives "Start Simple and Small"
 
JTknives said:
OK i will be the one to say it, as everyone else has thought it but not spoke up. Why? i mean its your first knife, start with something simple. I'm not knocking you at all or your skills. its just something like this is a bit over the top which is fine but get the basics down first. forge welding is not as easy as you think. i mean its not hard as long as certain things are done. i just want you to not get frustrated with your first knife. And a project like this could frustrate a lot of people. Make a knife that is simple and basic and have fun doing it. Once more I'm not knocking you at all. i just have seen many new people try something way out of there league and get so frustrated and quit. thats what i tell all the people that come to my shop wanting to get into making knives "Start Simple and Small"
Click to expand...

I did think about all of what you have said, but I am the kind of person that will try the hardest thing right off the bat, not afraid of failure. And I enjoy the challenge of doing something very complicated, makes my brain work. And I know forge welding is not easy and clear cut for someone new like me, I have screwed up the handle a few times and have to reforge all the pieces again tomorrow. Good thing I started playing with it at a low fold count cause it's getting up there. And no worries about anything you have said, I am always open to advise, especially from people who know more than I do.
 
Will this be a "take down" construction? If not I cant see any reason to fit the tang so tightly inside the frame. Will it have handle slabs? If so they will cover any slack between the frame and tang and will be epoxy filled.
 
Okay, I copied/pasted your post into notepad and broke it up. My ADD brain can't assimilate a big amorphous paragraph like that and then make sense of it.


I understand what you're wanting to do now.

Do you have access to a mill? You could mill the pocket into two damascus pieces, get your fit up tight, and then forge weld it all together.

If you don't have a mill, then I would make up two slabs of damascus for the handle scales. Then make up a long, narrrow strip of damascus roughly the same thickness as your tang.

Heat it up and bend it into a U shape that matches your desired handle shape. Grind it flat and clean, and then put it between your two handle slabs, then you can forge weld it all together and you'll have a pocket for the tang.


Personally, I'd just do a regular handle on this one, and then make a complete integral on your next.

The only benefit you'd have with this current method over a complete integral is some control over pattern contrasts between pieces.

The thing that's really going to be a bugger is getting a good forge weld between your handle and the finger guard. You'll avoid that nasty hurdle with a complete integral.

:)
 
A full metal handle with comfortable proportions, on a knife with a blade less than ten or twelve inches long and 1/4 inch thick at the ricasso is going to feel like a club when it is all done.
 
Thanks, Bill. I have been thinking that since the first post, but didn't want to state the obvious.

The poster is a welder by trade, so he understands the metal work.

One good tactic was suggested - make it a take down.
That way you could mill in a snug fitting pocket on both halves, and use socket screws to assemble the halves onto the tang. The seam between the two sides should be nearly invisible if they are flat ground/lapped flush.
Excess material could even be milled out to lighten the handle.

Stacy
 
I was almost able to do it using the slot method only to end up not liking the size of it. I know where I screwed up and how to fix it. Had it together once, hit the handle to the mock totally wrong, screwed it all up, got the mock stuck half out and had to split the handle to get it out. Really did not like the size so I took the tig torch and sealed the seams, actually makes a pretty neat pattern. Wanted to see how it felt and well it felt to small. I'll save it for a smaller knife.

I did not want to overweight the knife with a huge handle, but then again I hate a light knife that feels like a toy. Tried to hit right in the middle and came up a little short. The knife with the handle I made today does balance fairly well but I don't like it so guess I'll have to do it again. There was more weight in the blade still than the handle so another 1/8" wide and 1/2" long should make it dead even...I hope. At least I know I can do it now provided I do not make the same mistake again.

By the way this is a fairly large knife, don't have a tape measure I can find but I wear a size 10.5 shoe and there is about 1-1.5" sticking out from under my foot. Caveman measuring :eek::eek:

I would love to post up some pics but my wife decided she would help me organize my things and I have not seen my tape measure, a bunch of other things, or my camera in 2 months...cannot wait to build a shop with a big deadbolt on the door.
 
I knew a guy whose wife said he was a slob,and things needed to change around the house. She tidied everything up, and put it into boxes. He hasn't seen any of his stuff.....the boxes....or his wife for two years.:D

Photos of your blade and handle would help enormously. even a scan on the printer would be better than no pics.
Stacy
 
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