Full Handle Blade

colu41

colu41

Joined
Dec 24, 2014
Messages
1,598
So I've been making knives for not even 6 months now. And I feel comfortable at what I'm doing. But I've only been making full tang knives, I would really like to start doing some full handles.
From what I think, a full handled knife NEEDS a guard otherwise it will look funny. (Again this is what I think)
I would like to start out with a nice stacked leather handle, but can that be made to look nice without a guard?

I was given an 8 foot chunk of 2"x1/2" brass. I could try to make a guard, but not sure how that will go.

Any suggestions or tips would be great.....
 
They are called "hidden tang" knives. :) They don't need a "guard" per se, but there really should be something in front of the handle otherwise it would look funny, to most people at least. You can use a ferrule or just a "bolster", which is basically a guard, but without the finger lug that extends down, or both up and down.

Here is a vid on an easy way to make a ferrule by a good friend of mine:

[video=youtube;46Ia-yUp-Z0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46Ia-yUp-Z0[/video]

Also, there is a thread from a couple days ago that should be on the first page still since I just posted in it, titled: Tight lipped guarded secret no pun intended (<--- click link to go there) that goes through pretty much everything ya just asked. Read that and I bet all of your questions will be answered. :thumbup:

I'll go ahead and copy & paste the reply I posted on that thread here as well:

"Here is the part of Nick Wheeler's AWESOME Tutorial/ WIP where he begins fitting the guard.. It starts on page 10, showing the importance of the ricasso shoulders and how they shouldn't be at a sharp angle and the inner corners of the tang section (due to stress risers) etc.. Here is page 10 http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...-s-Steel-*-Stuck-in-the-metal-with-you/page10

Then on page 11 is the actual guard making and fitting, and then page 12 goes into it a little more and then to the handle fitting, which of course is very much related to the guard, in making it all come together nicely, that is, as the final handle.. So yea, read page 10, 11, 12. Then go to page 1 and read the entire thing! ;) He goes into this a little earlier but it is important that the ricasso be VERY FLAT.. you can use a flat surface (granite, glass, marble etc.) with sandpaper on top to get it FLAT..

Also, don't cut (file) in the final tang shoulders until you finish hand sanding the ricasso, because you will end end rounding over the edges of the shoulders which will lead to a gap when ya get the guard fitted. Man, I say just read from the beginning lol :cool: He covers all of this.. :thumbup: And of course the blade is the foundation for the guard, and so on and so on."
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Anyway, I can't stress enough that you read through that entire WIP if you haven't already (everyone else here will agree), it has hepled so many guys here in a bunch of differrent ways, myself included!

Also, click on this link check out his youtube channel: Nick Wheeler Youtube channel
He has done many helpful videos that, just like his epic WIP, have helped many guys out, once again including myself ;) He covers proper hand sanding technique, shaping a bowie handle, grinding, how to dome a handle pin, forging, how to get perfect plunge line etc etc etc .. I'll just say watch as many of his videos as ya can. :cool:

Hope that helps!

~Paul
My YT Channel Lsubslimed
 
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Sort of off subject but, I'm looking at the leather washer pieces on USAKnife. They are slotted with a 1/2" x .19" slot. Is that too large for 1/8" steel? I'd rather not have to order leather and have to cut them out but, if I have to I will.
 
i4Marc said:
Nick's tutorial is very good of course but here is Will Morrison's. You can search through it for the guard fitting part but it is highly recommended to read the whole thing......a few times.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1082411-Introduction-and-a-WIP
Click to expand...

I concur ;)

colu41 said:
Sort of off subject but, I'm looking at the leather washer pieces on USAKnife. They are slotted with a 1/2" x .19" slot. Is that too large for 1/8" steel? I'd rather not have to order leather and have to cut them out but, if I have to I will.
Click to expand...

I've never done a leather handle before but it seem that you would want the leather to at least touch the sides of the tang if not a bit more snug. They obviously don't have to be gap free when they're behind a guard etc. but I'm but guessing .190 slotted pieces on a 1/8" (.125) tang IMO would be a bit too loose. But, lets wait till somebody who's tried it chime in. :)

~Paul
My YT Channel Lsubslimed
 
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If you do them yourself you can actually just use a leather punch using the same diameter hole as the tang's thickness and just punch out a few holes to get the height of the tang out in each leather piece.. Looks like it wouldn't take too horribly long to do.

~Paul
My YT Channel Lsubslimed
 
coldsteelburns said:
If you do them yourself you can actually just use a leather punch using the same diameter hole as the tang's thickness and just punch out a few holes to get the height of the tang out in each leather piece.. Looks like it wouldn't take too horribly long to do.

~Paul
My YT Channel Lsubslimed
Click to expand...

Thats what I was thinking. Not sure If my leather punches I have go as small as an 1/8 but. I can see.
 
Hey, here is a vid that ya might be able to pick up a few tips and ideas from. It's "Trollskyy's" way of making a leather stacked handle.

[video=youtube;I0Z3pDGI9vo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0Z3pDGI9vo[/video]

~Paul
My YT Channel Lsubslimed
 
Ive actually seen that vid a long time ago. Thanks for reminding me. That looks simple enough but. As I don't own a welder. Could threaded rod be soldered to the tang? Or does it need to be welded?
 
colu41 said:
Ive actually seen that vid a long time ago. Thanks for reminding me. That looks simple enough but. As I don't own a welder. Could threaded rod be soldered to the tang? Or does it need to be welded?
Click to expand...

You actually don't need to weld or solder, and he didn't use either in that video, he just rounded the end of the tang and threaded it. Just shape the end on the tang to a "perfect" (or close to) square, then start taking the corners off at an even amount on each one, thus making it an octagon (preferably using a file). Then either file or hand sand to continue making it round. Once it is round just put the threads on with a tap and die set, using the proper size die. Make sure you make the end of the tang round at a diameter that one of your dies can properly fit on and thread. And it really doesn't have to be perfectly round, but the closer the better.

And yes, you can solder on the threads using a bolt with it's head cut off. I believe you were use silver solder and a propane torch to braze it on. I really don't know much of anything though about soldering so if that is the route you wanna take, I would start a new thread (no pun inteaded ;) ).

Just try using a piece of scrap steel in the same dimensions as the last inch or so of your tang, and practice rounding it and threading it. You can use a belt sander to round it as well if you feel you have the skill to do so.

Hope that helps. :)

Edited to add: You actually don't even have to have a threaded tang to do a leather stacked handle. Just once you have it all epoxied up compressed using clamps, you can peen the end of the tang over the butt cap for a solid mechanical way of keepin the handle on in addition to the epoxy.

~Paul
My YT Channel Lsubslimed
 
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coldsteelburns said:
You actually don't need to weld or solder, and he didn't use either in that video, he just rounded the end of the tang and threaded it. Just shape the end on the tang to a "perfect" (or close to) square, then start taking the corners off at an even amount on each one, thus making it an octagon (preferably using a file). Then either file or hand sand to continue making it round. Once it is round just put the threads on with a tap and die set, using the proper size die. Make sure you make the end of the tang round at a diameter that one of your dies can properly fit on and thread. And it really doesn't have to be perfectly round, but the closer the better.

And yes, you can solder on the threads using a bolt with it's head cut off. I believe you were use silver solder and a propane torch to braze it on. I really don't know much of anything though about soldering so if that is the route you wanna take, I would start a new thread (no pun inteaded ;) ).

Just try using a piece of scrap steel in the same dimensions as the last inch or so of your tang, and practice rounding it and threading it. You can use a belt sander to round it as well if you feel you have the skill to do so.

Hope that helps. :)

Edited to add: You actually don't even have to have a threaded tang to do a leather stacked handle. Just once you have it all epoxied up compressed using clamps, you can peen the end of the tang over the butt cap for a solid mechanical way of keepin the handle on in addition to the epoxy.

~Paul
My YT Channel Lsubslimed
Click to expand...

Thats great to know! I use exclusively 1/8" steel. So I don't know if thats enough to make a threaded butt end. I actually thought about extending the end a bit and sort of fold it over the pommel and grind the excess.....
 
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