Drilling tang to reduce weight

trout #2

trout #2

Joined
Jul 22, 2004
Messages
527
I need some input here. I have an Ontario TAK and want to try to lighten it up a little. Would drilling out a few holes in the tang under the handle slabs have any adverse effects that I'm not considering? I suppose it would shift the balance some, but other than that I can't see any harm. It's 1095 steel if that matters. thanks
 
id drill a line of holes in the dead center of the handle covered by the slabs, leaving at least an inch or more between the holes you are goin to be makeing and the ones that the screws use to secure the handle, keep your holes in the center and you shouldnt comprimise the strength at all.
 
Don't waste your time unless you have a decent drill press and some carbide drills. Trying to do it with HSS drill bits, or even carbide with a hand drill will just leave you frustrated and with ruined drill bits.

John
 
jmxcpter said:
Don't waste your time unless you have a decent drill press and some carbide drills. Trying to do it with HSS drill bits, or even carbide with a hand drill will just leave you frustrated and with ruined drill bits.

John
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EXACTLY. Hardened steel is a pain in the butt to drill. You can draw some of the hardness out of the tang, but IMO it's not worth the effort.
Scott
 
I was about to join the others warning of the extreme difficulty of drilling a hole in most tempered knife steels but then I noticed it's 1095 -- you're in luck! You can anneal that pretty easily. Hold the blade in water so it stays cool while you heat up the tang as hot as you can get it with a propane torch, and try to let it cool a little gradually by gradually moving the torch away. Then you can drill it.

I'll move this thread to Shop Talk; the real knifemakers might have something to add.
 
Heat it up evenly and not too hot, otherwise your tang will warp and those slabs won't fit anymore.
 
What Danbo and Couger said. You don't need a full aneal eighter. I'm not familure with the knife, but if doesn't have a coating lightly sand the tang and heat(with the blade in a pan of water as was stated) to a blue oxide color and let slow cool, that should be enough to drill fairly easily.

I'd first try drilling without softing, just use cobalt drill bits and cutting oil and go easy. Unless the knife is the same hardness from tip to tang that should work. Just use a drill press and securly fasten the blade to the drill press table. Can give new and painfull meaning to the term helicopter.

Good luck
 
Almost forgot, when I do a full tang there is very little metal left in the tang. I normaly mill out or cut out with a cut off wheel large chuncks of the center of the tang to reduce wieght. As long as you don't get too narrow or to much open space you should be fine.
 
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