Ancient Fix for Horn Handle

btice

btice

Joined
Dec 27, 2002
Messages
796
The crack continued to grow on my BAS despite a careful epoxy fix. Suddenly an idea hit me. I had seen an ancient clay pot, several hundred years old, in which its original owner had fixed a substantial crack. I tried the technique; got a very small drill bit and placed a hole in the horn handle at the very end of the crack. Went ahead with the epoxy, more for cosmetics than anything else, because if that old pot is any indication, the drilled hole should fix it by itself. Let's see what happens after the epoxy dries and I tear up a bunch of mesquite for a slow barbeque this weekend. :)
 
You remind me that my Dad (who rebuilt a couple of old planes)
would often drill a hole at the end of a crack in sheet metal
before doing any other repair work on it.
Distributes the stress to a larger area than the microscopic end of the crack.

Hmmmm. Could a cho somehow.............?
Nah.
 
Check this out--sorta same idea:

"Very Good Old Moro Barong Sword"

"An old and interesting repair of a crack in the handle wood, using small wood pegs inserted into the crack to stop its expanding."

http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/OA/items/000987.html

I'm sure Fed will encourage me, but a couple of nice barongs is definately on my wish list.

The pictures talk to me the same way that pictures of khuks do.
 
In the machine shop when we welded cracked cast iron, we would always do that.

Steve
 
There you go. Progress marches on, but the tune sounds somewhat similar. I'll bet ya this fix with the hole at the end of the crack holds...what do you bet?
 
If you ever see the Liberty Bell, they've done the same thing. Unfortunately with less than 100% effectiveness.
 
Originally posted by firkin
"An old and interesting repair of a crack in the handle wood, using small wood pegs inserted into the crack to stop its expanding."
Click to expand...
I think they are wrong in attributing it to keeping the crack from expanding.
It wouldn't that I can see.
Looks more like decorative filler.
Easier than trying to shave a wedge to fit.
 
Another old fix I see quite often is to wrap the grip with wire up to or down from the 'ring'. Some of these kukris have been that way for 50-100 yrs as far as I can tell. Very, very solid.
 
JDP, I assume that they are using copper wire? I guess other wires could be used also.
 
Hiking Staff makers have recommeded drilling a 1/4 inch hole a few inches from the top of the staff to prevent cracking/splitting of the staff. I usually place one at the top and one at the bottom. Seems to help.
 
also works on auto glass, like a front windshield. The circle distrubutes the stress along the corcumference of the circle evenly, whereas a crack wil continue to shear and expand with heating, cold, mooisture, pressure, etc. in the same direction.

Keith
 
I don't remember any one drilling holes in a horses hoof. But, we filed a cross hatch at the end of the crack to keep it from getting any higher and it seems to work that way too. It does stop crack from going on for ever.:)
 
I took the BAS with the crack in the handle for a test run. Chopped up a bunch of mesquite; well seasoned. I now have enough to barbeque through next year. So far I can't see any movement in the crack. We'll keep an eye on it and see what happens.
 
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