Fixing a guard

[seth2915]

Hey, folks, I need some advice.

When attaching a guard, do you solder, braze or weld? I am concerned about getting the steel too hot if I braze or weld it, and that the solder won't be strong enough. Which way do I go?

 

[seth2915]

Steel to steel, by the way.

 

[C.Edmondson]

JB WELD, havent had one fail yet and Ive tested them beyond hard use

 

[Hengelo_77]

you can get solder with 4%silver that doesn´t neet to get to hot.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Hengelo has it. Use the silver bearing soft solder, and the flux that is for it. It melts at around 400F. Theer are lots of threads and tutorials on soldering guards.

 

[tedinatl]

I silver solder all my bolsters/guards. If you're careful, the blade won't get hot enough to be affected by the heat, and the solder joint is surprisingly strong. Oh, and I pin bolsters on as well as soldering - belt and suspenders .

 

[seth2915]

Thanks, everyone. The silver bearing solder worked a treat. Don't quite trust tedinatl, though, because he doesn't trust anything...

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

tedinatl,
Because so many people read this, I want to clear up some terminology:
Using Silver Solder....often called hard soldering.... is done at 1000F to 1350F with a hard wire or sheet of silver brazing metal. It has from 40% to 80% silver content. It is actually silver brazing, and is very strong. It will affect the blade temper in the area of the solder. This is rarely used in knifemaking for guards.
Using Silver Bearing Solder.... usually called soft soldering...... is a tin based soft solder wire with between 2% and 4% silver content. It is applied at around 400F. It will not affect the blade temper. This is the norm for attaching guards. It is not strong, and is only used to seal the joint.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

That should absolutely be a sticky!