Frame Handle Fighter

Perhaps you could tell me why I should be concerned, or what I have done that raises that concern...
 
What JAFW said.

those sharp angles at the ricasso and tang make a perfect storm for a crack.
 
If you are worried about it, Clay coat the tang at the guard area when you heat treat, or differentially heat treat and dont put that area into the oil for 2-3 seconds when you quench and you won't have to worry about it. You are doing it right, keep going. I've had plans to do a frame handle fighter so I'm watching carefully.
 
Today I scanned an image of the scales so I could sketch out the layout without marking up the actual scales. The thing that most concerns me now is pin placement, and that is largely because the top part of the frame is so narrow. Using the first frame I came up with this layout (please pardon the ugliness of the sketching).

FighterPlan.JPG


Any thoughts or comments?

The only idea I had for moving the pins closer to the center was to drill the holes such that they are in the inside edge of the frame, but I'm not convinced that would yield significantly better results.

Should I start from scratch and make another frame with thicker top sections?
 
Here is the mock up based on the second handle frame. You can see that there is more room to center the pins.

FighterPlan2.JPG
 
Well I think its coming out very nice. Thanks for mentioning me and my framed design. Anxious to see this one finished.
 
Thanks for the words of encouragement, Bruce and Ryan. I've been moving more slowly than usual on this because I do want to get it right. At the moment, I still have some time to make the decision about which frame I want to use, but I'm leaning toward the second one simply because of the pin placement concerns.

Anyway, my next immediate objective is to make/fit the guard and get the blade ready for HT.
 
Spent time today working on the guard. It hasn't been given its final shape yet, and the slotting isn't absolutely perfect yet, but it does now fit over the tang and nestle close enough to the ricasso for me to see how things are going to look together. Also, there is no gap visible when you look closely at the ricasso-guard junction.

Fighter23s.JPG


I tried it out with each of the handle frames. As I see things together like this, I am leaning more an more toward the snugger and more centered frame.

Fighter21s.JPG


Fighter22s.JPG
 
In those pictures, is the guard on the tang, or just sitting above it for mock-up? I ask because the guard looks pretty huge for the overall knife, and particularly tall above the spine. If either side of the guard is longer than the other, you usually want it to be the knuckle side for visual balance.

It appears to me that you have put the tang slot right in the middle of the guard. Since your blade tang is not centered in the ricasso, but rather is above the centerline, the guard as built will look "high" on the blade. Often you'll want to slot your guard a little higher than center for a good flow to the knife.

I like the profile you are going with on the guard, though. I also think you are right to go with the more centered frame. The only thing I'd watch there- the line of the top of the frame, and hence your handle, looks like it will be higher than the line of your spine at the ricasso. I can't see how much really- it might be fine, but I've seen many knives that looked clunky because of this. It looks nice if the front of your handle is about the same size and in line with your ricasso, or if there is a difference in width, that it be on the knuckle side.

Don't think I'm trying to pick your knife apart, or that I have only bad, annoying things to say- I think you are doing a good job and this has the potential to be the best work you've done yet.
 
Thanks, Salem. I know I need to refine the shape of the guard. In the pictures the guard is on the tang. The long side can be on the top or bottom... it fits either way. But I'll probably end up evening it out.

One of the reasons I was anxious to get the guard done was so I could see how much I needed to thin off the top of the frame. I will make sure the lines flow before final assembly.

Actually, I just noticed when I reversed the guard as it is slotted now it looks perfectly even. I forgot that I cut to slot off center for a reason. ;)
 
Looking good Greg. For what it is worth, I agree that the guard needs trimming on top and bottom. I have found that if I put the knife on a piece of paper and trace around it the entire thing it becomes more obvious what is out of whack. It also makes it easier to make modifications to proportions. I think it would look really nice with a spacer between the guard and the handle.

Keep it up!
 
Have you ever had an idea that you knew (intellectually) was a bad idea, but you just couldn't shake it? Something just compels you to move forward, though you're pretty sure forward is really backward...

Well, that's where I'm at with the guard. For several months now I've been contemplating doing another bit of twisted-rope carving (similar to the Caduceus blade I did a long time ago). It occurred to me this guard might be an opportunity to do just that. My issue is that there really is no aesthetic reason to put the thru-carved guard on this knife. I just feel compelled to do it.

Here's the sketch of the idea. If I move forward (backward) with this, it will eventually get skinnier in the center to align better with the handle. I have also considered bending it after the carving. Talk about bad ideas!

Fighter25.jpg


Someone please talk me off the cliff. :)
 
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