Hardened butt plate

[Hengelo_77]

I´m working on a user knife that I want to have a hardened butt plate so it can be used for light hammering.
The steel is O2 (1.2842)
My first idea is to cut threats before hardening.
Will the sharp threats alow stress to be buid up? Will it lead to cracks?
Would peening be a better option?
My guess is that a countersunk hole would be best and let the peening fill the countersink to leave a flat surface.
Peen or threats?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

While threats might help, threads would work better

Either method will work. There are advantages to each.
Peening allows the but plate to have guide pins soldered on the back side for alignment during assembly. Peening also allows for any later slop in the handle ( due to shrinkage) to be tightened by re-peening.
Threading allows the butt plate to compress the handle/guard tightly. Threading is an easier assembly technique, but does not allow for any changes once the butt is shaped to the handle. If the handle shrinks with age and gets loose, the assembly must be taken apart, and a shim plate added.

 

[Hengelo_77]

Good point Stacy, persuasive language goes a long way but doesn´t work on steel.
I´ll go the threading way. But don´t you see stress building around the sharp corners of the threads?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

If you mean stress risers, I wouldn't worry.

 

[Rick Marchand]

I use peening for my butt plates. A nice wide tang with good shoulders and a plate hole with angled walls so the peened end fills in like a wedge. It is a very nice mechanical bond. Like Stacy says, it is easy to tighten should things loosen up, later on.