How To G10 guard help

N

Nick-D

Joined
Apr 17, 2017
Messages
253
Hey all,

Working on my first knife with a guard and am struggling to get a clean fit up on the guard. It's 10mm g10 guard and I'm trying for a press style fit as the knife isn't super thick. (currently 4.4mm at the ricasso) g10 seems to have little to no give so am I correct in thinking I'll have to file a shoulder all the way round the tang to get a nice clean fit up?

First fit was miles to big, the current fit is close, but a couple of bits of light shining through still.

The thought did cross my mind to use some pigmented epoxy (black Guard) but that would be cheating and I would still be left not being able to fit it properly

Any of you who work with g10 have any tips or tricks you could fire my way?
Cheers
XDKRtwJ.jpg

TTdGPzm.jpg

byFQ6qJ.jpg
 
Haven’t done a g10 guard so can’t help you with that. However guard press fits are usually done with a metal guard. The guard is sized .002” undersized creating a press fit. .001” under for a stainless guard as I recall

what does your ricasso measure when you mic it vs your guard slot? I believe you will see light with a .001” difference
 
Nick-D said:
Hey all,

Working on my first knife with a guard and am struggling to get a clean fit up on the guard. It's 10mm g10 guard and I'm trying for a press style fit as the knife isn't super thick. (currently 4.4mm at the ricasso) g10 seems to have little to no give so am I correct in thinking I'll have to file a shoulder all the way round the tang to get a nice clean fit up?

First fit was miles to big, the current fit is close, but a couple of bits of light shining through still.

The thought did cross my mind to use some pigmented epoxy (black Guard) but that would be cheating and I would still be left not being able to fit it properly

Any of you who work with g10 have any tips or tricks you could fire my way?
Cheers
XDKRtwJ.jpg

TTdGPzm.jpg

byFQ6qJ.jpg
Click to expand...
You can t do press fit with G10 . Steel can move G10 no .Guard from steel are make like this , very little steel is compressed so you can get that tight fit .G10 is easy to sand , next time go slowly and you will make it right .Use black epoxy it will help to hide that gap .
File guide will help lot....................
N9g122I.png
 
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That looks sweet to me.

Nice job.

I dont know what more anybody could want than what you've got.

I know the pressure of the artist however, the most discerning and critical eye is his or her own, and nothing is ever perfect amiright?

Looks good to me.
 
If ya ain't cheatin', ya ain't tryin'!

Plus using colored epoxy isn't cheating it's just good planning!
 
Scaniaman said:
I know Willie71 Willie71 has done a bit of G10 on guards, maybe he can gelp too
Click to expand...

when I do g-10 guards, I use a thin piece of g-10 liner like 0.030” and cut the slot in that, for the fitup. It takes almost no time, as it files quite easily. I then glue that to the 3/8” guard, with either CA or JB-Kwik, the 5 min metallized epoxy. It dries the same color as the black g-10. Either way, the seam is almost invisible. The guard itself has a slightly oversized slot. That gets filled with the JB-Kwik when I assemble the guard on the knife.
 
A
Willie71 said:
when I do g-10 guards, I use a thin piece of g-10 liner like 0.030” and cut the slot in that, for the fitup. It takes almost no time, as it files quite easily. I then glue that to the 3/8” guard, with either CA or JB-Kwik, the 5 min metallized epoxy. It dries the same color as the black g-10. Either way, the seam is almost invisible. The guard itself has a slightly oversized slot. That gets filled with the JB-Kwik when I assemble the guard on the knife.
Click to expand...

Awesome, thanks man, makes sense filing through the 10mm g10 definately takes a bit of time, I will probably give it 1 more go, see if I can't tighten it up a shade then go from there
 
Nick-D said:
A


Awesome, thanks man, makes sense filing through the 10mm g10 definately takes a bit of time, I will probably give it 1 more go, see if I can't tighten it up a shade then go from there
Click to expand...

using a rough file (rasp- Lee Valley sells great ones for this purpose) on the thicker part of the guard makes filing faster, and provides a mechanical joint for the glue as well. The 6h JB-Weld dries grey, so it doesn’t match without dying it.
 
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john april said:
i have seen much worse, and made much worse :D epoxy will hide it.
Click to expand...
Don t say that . We start working on gard for 3mm tang and sometimes ,six months later we end up with gard for 6mm knife :D And that is not bad thing ...starting new gard on which already half work was done is good :)
 
Here is one that is in the finial finishing stage. The guard front is 0.030” on this one.

4ED5763F-56D4-41EB-82EA-6ED5FB82258A by Wjkrywko, on Flickr

I need to clean a little glob of epoxy near the spine with a razor blade. I find it’s better to leave the epoxy a bit proud, when cleaning with a q-tip, as the epoxy ends up a bit recessed if I clean it perfectly at that stage. Not sure if the epoxy shrinks as it cures, or if the lacquer thinner makes the epoxy sag as it cures.

AA0F1E6E-9788-49CF-9E9C-89EB8FE4A10A by Wjkrywko, on Flickr

This side looks good.

677EBF90-5F47-4F72-A3BB-BE245C7D2E45 by Wjkrywko, on Flickr


Just about done, but too little shop time. I had the handle sanded, but it felt a little bulky, so I trimmed a bit off, and will refinish on my next day in the shop.


2F6A9B7A-9259-4FF1-B5CD-514EDDC4974B by Wjkrywko, on Flickr
 
Nick-D said:
Hey all,

Working on my first knife with a guard and am struggling to get a clean fit up on the guard. It's 10mm g10 guard and I'm trying for a press style fit as the knife isn't super thick. (currently 4.4mm at the ricasso) g10 seems to have little to no give so am I correct in thinking I'll have to file a shoulder all the way round the tang to get a nice clean fit up?

First fit was miles to big, the current fit is close, but a couple of bits of light shining through still.

The thought did cross my mind to use some pigmented epoxy (black Guard) but that would be cheating and I would still be left not being able to fit it properly

Any of you who work with g10 have any tips or tricks you could fire my way?
Cheers
XDKRtwJ.jpg

TTdGPzm.jpg

byFQ6qJ.jpg
Click to expand...


With g-10, you don’t want to be much tighter than that.
 
Willie71 said:
With g-10, you don’t want to be much tighter than that.
Click to expand...

OK awesome thanks, I think I will carry on with this guard and see how it looks when fit up. Need to tidy up the shoulders any first as looking at them they are flat but not square

I love your work above, your hunter designs were a big part of the inspiration for me with this knife.

Will buy one of you at some point in the future :thumbsup:
 
Other tips: End mills at 1/8” or smaller break really easily. I do a lot of thin knives, most under 0.090”. I found using a slitting saw to cut the guard slot is very quick and clean. However, I can slot a 0.030” guard face quicker with a file guide, drill, and good needle files than setting up the mill. If I am doing a run of similar knives, like a steak knife set, I use the mill.
 
Nick-D said:
OK awesome thanks, I think I will carry on with this guard and see how it looks when fit up. Need to tidy up the shoulders any first as looking at them they are flat but not square

I love your work above, your hunter designs were a big part of the inspiration for me with this knife.

Will buy one of you at some point in the future :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

You could just make your own....

I would be happy to sell you one too though. My inspiration was Nick Wheeler. Nothing new in the knife world.
 
Willie71 said:
You could just make your own....

I would be happy to sell you one too though. My inspiration was Nick Wheeler. Nothing new in the knife world.
Click to expand...

Haha, I've got a ways to go until I can produce that sort of quality, I'm still heat treating in a 2 brick forge!

Next project is a DIY ht oven
 
Nick-D said:
Haha, I've got a ways to go until I can produce that sort of quality, I'm still heat treating in a 2 brick forge!

Next project is a DIY ht oven
Click to expand...


Save some money and get a blank profiled and heat treated...
 
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