buttcap peening (again)

Skeletor

Skeletor

Joined
Aug 31, 2002
Messages
544
All three of my kukris have problems with the buttcap either being loose or having a gap. Using the infromation on this forum I peened one of them but it did not last. I've been trying to peen the other two today and have had ZERO luck. I've mostly been hitting the little dot of exposed tang at a roughly 45 degree angle while working my way in a circle. I've tried rapid light taps, I've tried heavier hits (as heavy as I can without missing), not working. My Chitlangi has a huge gap between butcap and handle but will not close at all, which I though may be due to laha being in between the two. So I got my BAS out, which has a flush fitting buttcap that can be turned very easily. I again could not get it to tighten. Does anyone have any tips? Any potential problems that you guys can spot? How hard do I need to be hitting and how long should it take to peen a buttcap?
 
Skeletor--are you using a vice or somthing to hold the blade while you are peening it? You can also rest the tip on a hard stump when you peen. Can you actually see any metal spreading out on the tang to form a mushroom shape? If not, you aren't hitting it hard enough to move the metal.

Are the handles wood or horn? If they are horn, part of the problem may be due to shrinkage. Moisturizing the horn with some hooflex or other lanolin-based product should help.

--Josh
 
Skeletor I'm not sure what your problem is. What you're doing sounds like it should be working. On the ones like your BAS where the cap fits flush I would just put some super glue or epoxy underneath it.

One question though. How solid are you able to hit it? If it isn't a good solid blow you won't be able to move any metal.
 
The short answer is no. Sorry. I tried to do the same to a horn-handled Pen Knife without success. However, I was able to tighten it by:
1) smearing hydrous lanolin on it
2) heating the handle with a heat gun on the high setting until the handle was ALMOST uncomfortably hot

The lanolin comes out of the tube as a VERY thick cream that is hard to spread. The heatgun kind of melts it into a clear, shiny frosting.

I left it to soak overnight and the buttcap was MUCH tighter. I heated the lanolin again and wiped it off.

Of course, some of the tightening may have been from melting and rehardening of laha. If that's the case, this process could also work on a wooden handle.

Good luck.
 
All of the handles are horn (if I knew what I knew know they would have been wood!). I use hooflex to moisturize them but this seems to do little to expand the horn. I probably will epoxy or superglue the buttcaps on the BAS and WW2, but the Chitlangi has such a huge gap that the buttcap really does need to be brought closer. Also I don't want to have a thick discolored strip on the Chitlangi as it is the best looking of the bunch and I would like to keep it that way.

Yvsa, on the BAS I could definately see some spreading and could even see a small burr (the mushrooming effect described) on the exposed tang when I hold it up to the light. Maybe I just need to do it more, I'll try again tomorrow.
 
I wish i had some info on this that could help ya out:( I had a loose buttcap on an AK that my brutish, monkey-like friend accidently chucked down a rock face. it was beat to heck anyway, so i just grasped the handle in my hands and hit the steel sticking out of the keeper with a couple good smacks with the hammer poll of a tomahawk. worked for me. hasn't loosened yet. Good luck finding a solution to your problem. that's a bummer, man.

~Jake
 
I remember reading that, shuddered at the thought of that happening to my babies...

That's one great thing about the tomahawk, there simply isn't anything that can go wrong.
 
Are you using a ball peen hammer? I find this works better for smooshing metal.

I peened a Del Tin sword a few years ago with a ball peen by smooshing the metal outwards from the center of the tang end. Sort of a circular motion moving towards the outside of the circle of the tang end.

Hasn't loosened yet.

Yes, use a vice and wrap the blade with some cloth.

Maybe a little superglue would be in order too.
 
I'm not convinced yet that peening is the answer.

Can you determine where the gap occurs? IE. Is it just at the edges, or at the center as well? Reason I ask - it may be that the cap is on tight at the center of the tang, and loose around the edges. Peening will do nothing to help that situation.

If that's the case, you can try hitting the plate itself (with a piece of leather inbetween the hammer and the plate). That will help move it into place.
 
Pen - That may be the case with the Chitlangi but the BAS and WW2 are loose all over. I'll give peening another try today and get back to you guys.
 
I asked my dad for help with the peening and it took him about two seconds to do. Here is how to do it: use the flat side of the hammer and give that little silver dot a few solid hits straight on. Then use that same flat side to hit the edges of that dot angling the hammer inward. This is quick, easy, and won't dent your buttcap.
 
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