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best way to attach a guard?
- Thread starter max1224
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 23, 1999
- Messages
- 5,855
I have always silver soldered. Since coming to the forums I have seen everything from soldering to using liquid steel or epoxy. I still think silver soldering is best. You can solder and pin guards if you don't trust the solder.
When you do solder a guard on, put the blade in a vise tang down and put the flame on the tang about 1 1/4" below the guard. That way, the heat moves up the tang and the blade won't get too hot. Also, with tang down, the flux, which is actually acid, won't run down the blade and etch it. This happened to me for a while till I read Texas Knifemaker's Supply catalog. It has tips on soldering guards.
To hold the guard in place while soldering, you can either clamp it in place or take a punch and make several dings in the guard near and towards the tang. just make sure it will stay put before you start heating it up. Take care! Michael
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"Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!"
When you do solder a guard on, put the blade in a vise tang down and put the flame on the tang about 1 1/4" below the guard. That way, the heat moves up the tang and the blade won't get too hot. Also, with tang down, the flux, which is actually acid, won't run down the blade and etch it. This happened to me for a while till I read Texas Knifemaker's Supply catalog. It has tips on soldering guards.
To hold the guard in place while soldering, you can either clamp it in place or take a punch and make several dings in the guard near and towards the tang. just make sure it will stay put before you start heating it up. Take care! Michael
------------------
"Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!"
- Joined
- Sep 23, 1999
- Messages
- 5,855
Oh yeah, you can also braze the guard on. When done right, this is the nicest and most secure way to do it. I haven't practiced this method enough to be able to do it right. In David Boye's book, "Step By Step Knife Making", he shows how to braze a guard and pommel and bolster on a knife. This is an excellent book.
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"Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!"
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"Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!"
- Joined
- Oct 4, 1999
- Messages
- 551
Both of them together are best IMHO.
Heat will affect the temper if you get the blade too hot. You can use a heat sink on the blade, if you like. There heat pastes on the market that are used to keep the heat from spreading on the blade when soldering. Somebody correct me if I am wrong.
Play around with soldering on some scrap pieces to get used to how hot you need the pieces to be for the solder to flow. Too hot and it won't work, speaking from experience. The pieces also need to be very clean.
There are high temp and low temp solders (and every temp in between). Be sure of which you have.
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If a man can keep alert and imaginative, an error is a possibility, a chance at something new; to him, wandering and wondering are a part of the same process. He is most mistaken, most in error, whenever he quits exploring.
William Least Heat Moon
Heat will affect the temper if you get the blade too hot. You can use a heat sink on the blade, if you like. There heat pastes on the market that are used to keep the heat from spreading on the blade when soldering. Somebody correct me if I am wrong.
Play around with soldering on some scrap pieces to get used to how hot you need the pieces to be for the solder to flow. Too hot and it won't work, speaking from experience. The pieces also need to be very clean.
There are high temp and low temp solders (and every temp in between). Be sure of which you have.
------------------
If a man can keep alert and imaginative, an error is a possibility, a chance at something new; to him, wandering and wondering are a part of the same process. He is most mistaken, most in error, whenever he quits exploring.
William Least Heat Moon
- Joined
- Oct 4, 1999
- Messages
- 551
I forgot to mention this.
Once you have a good solder joint and the piece is cool dip the soldered area into baking soda or ammonia to neutralize the flux (acid). Let it sit there a while.
If you don't do this the flux will continue to eat away gradually at the metals. It will stain the area and it is hard to correct.
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If a man can keep alert and imaginative, an error is a possibility, a chance at something new; to him, wandering and wondering are a part of the same process. He is most mistaken, most in error, whenever he quits exploring.
William Least Heat Moon
Once you have a good solder joint and the piece is cool dip the soldered area into baking soda or ammonia to neutralize the flux (acid). Let it sit there a while.
If you don't do this the flux will continue to eat away gradually at the metals. It will stain the area and it is hard to correct.
------------------
If a man can keep alert and imaginative, an error is a possibility, a chance at something new; to him, wandering and wondering are a part of the same process. He is most mistaken, most in error, whenever he quits exploring.
William Least Heat Moon
- Joined
- Apr 17, 1999
- Messages
- 170
Yes ! To all Mr Jones said. I might add, if it is a hidden tang you're soldering to, another way to hold the guard in place while you work is to put a car engine valve spring on the tang under the guard. Push down on the blade to compress the spring just a little and it will hold the guard tight against the shoulder while allowing space for the flame to come through the coils of the spring.
Good luck!
GaryB
Good luck!
GaryB
- Joined
- Oct 4, 1999
- Messages
- 551
Gary B,
I think you just came up with the tip of the day.
Good One. I'll have to try that sometime.
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If a man can keep alert and imaginative, an error is a possibility, a chance at something new; to him, wandering and wondering are a part of the same process. He is most mistaken, most in error, whenever he quits exploring.
William Least Heat Moon
I think you just came up with the tip of the day.
Good One. I'll have to try that sometime.
------------------
If a man can keep alert and imaginative, an error is a possibility, a chance at something new; to him, wandering and wondering are a part of the same process. He is most mistaken, most in error, whenever he quits exploring.
William Least Heat Moon