Guard fitting questions...

C

C.M

Joined
Dec 22, 2016
Messages
10
Hey folks. So I'm having a heck of a time with trying to get a satisfactory fit with this brass guard for a new project. This is a new area for me, I've watched some videos, done a bit of research, made a hardened file guide from O1, and managed to at least get the tang shoulders squared up. I have 2 questions:

First, for those of you guys that solder, do these seams look sufficiently tight to finish with soldering? And if not, obviously I need more work on my fit-ups. SO the 2nd question: I haven't been able to figure out if it is a standard practice to file/grind a set of shoulders on the face (in addition to the top and bottom) of the ricasso - this is my third shot at a good fit and I keep overshooting the width somehow, do you guys taper the tang on the face as well for a press fit on both the X and Y axes? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

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Are you planning to solder or epoxy? Are you planning on doing any further finishing work to the blade? Both the shoulders of the blade and the face of the guard must be FLAT to get a seamless fit. The tang can and should be slightly tapered up until about about a half inch from the shoulders, give or take. The last bit should be press fit. This will cause the guard to conform to the shape of the tang by the shoulders. If you have any gaps in the guard, the face of the guard around the edges of the slot can be peened to close up the hole. The guard is then press fit again. When a good fit is achieved the face of the guard is flattened again. Repeat as necessary. Use your hardened file guide, with a file of course, to square up the shoulders. A better method is to use a carbide faced file guide clamped at the shoulders then use your belt sander or disc sander to true up the shoulders. Be careful not to let excessive heat build up when using power tools. Keep in mind, there should be a small radius where the tang meets the ricasso. It shouldn't be a square corner. There should also be a corresponding radius on the guard where it meets the blade shoulders. Read through the following WIPs for a variety of reasons but pay particular attention to how they deal with guard fit up.



http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...Wheeler-s-Steel-*-Stuck-in-the-metal-with-you

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1082411-Introduction-and-a-WIP
 
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C.M. I don't know what your final finish will be so it's hard to say what to do from your pictures. Your guard is close enough to solder but your ricasso area is pretty rough. Maybe you finish your blade flats and ricasso and then take a look. If the gap widens then squeeze the guard in your vise to tighten it up and then solder. This is only my opinion. Maybe others will advise differently. Larry
 
You have gotten some good advice on fitting the guard up.

However, I'm assuming you haven't done the heat treat yet? You should not fit your guard before heat treat. After heat treat is done, you will be removing decarb and will be doing finish sanding. This will remove some thickness from the ricasso and will cause more gaps with your guard.
 
Are you planning to solder or epoxy? Are you planning on doing any further finishing work to the blade?
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Thanks for the info about that basic prep, i4Marc. I'm not sure how I want to do it yet. I'm just at the point where I'm trying to get a good solid fit. Thank you for those links as well, I will study them like a hawk:thumbup::rolleyes:

However, I'm assuming you haven't done the heat treat yet? You should not fit your guard before heat treat.
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Larry and S. Alexander, thanks for the heads up about HT and blade finish before fitting the guard. No, I have not done HT yet. TBH, I was just trying to work a bit on practicing the fitment before I got too far down the road. Everything I've done up to this point has been full tang/no guard. So I'm just taking it slow. :p But I understand that the dimensions and fit will change slightly once the blade is finish ground.

One other question, for those of you that use JB Weld and epoxy your guards, why not a slow set clear epoxy like G Flex or similar? Just personal preference?

Thanks again fellas.

-Cottar
 
You can use slow set clear epoxy and people do. I think a lot of people like the JB Weld because it has steel in the mix. I use JB too. It might also have a higher temp rating as well. I tried to remove a guard that was glued with JB Weld. I thought it might let go around around 4-500˚ but it took more than that, maybe in the 600˚ range. I could be wrong. I just remember it taking quite a bit longer to let go than i was expecting. I think mostly it's personal preference. If you fit your handle properly and pin it, the guard ain't goin' nowhere. Epoxy/JB holds the guard in place for sure but serves mostly as a moisture barrier.
 
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