Help with pommel finishing

[Vpetrell]

Finishing the hidden tang project I was working on.

Now my question is, what is the best way to attach a pommel to the handle and what should use. I searched the forum and couldn't come up with any thing.

Is there a better way to attach besides epoxy? I am only working with hand tools as well.

Thanks guys!

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

What I do in that situation is hard solder/braze a screw or bolt to the back of the pommel. Then drill out a seat for the bolt/screw stud and epoxy it in the antler. Grind slow to avoid overheating and breaking down the epoxy. You can add a leather spacer to match your bolster.

 

[stezann]

What Stacy said, but if you are not familiar/equipped for brazing, you could just drill a blind hole in the pommel and stag and epoxy a stud of threaded rod in between.
The rod is threaded just to give grip to the epoxy.
Before doing anything be sure you sand the back of the stag perfectly flat, and also the mating pommel surface.

 

[Jason Fry]

Another option is to glue and pin it. I'd use three 3/32 pins, drilled into the hard part of the antler, not the pith. Glue it all up with the pins set firmly in the holes, then peen the pins like on a bolster. As stezann said, make sure that everything is flat with no gaps. There are 4 pins in this one, IIRC.

 

[Vpetrell]

Thanks guys. I ended up doing a blind hole then epoxied a treated rod in and put a small ss cap on it. Now it's just finish sanding and going over all the rough areas and making a sheath.

Thanks for all the advice

 

[logem]

It seems as if you have solved your problem thanks to the input from others, but if I know I am going to need a pommel I'd rather do it another way and fasten the pommel to the end of the hidden tang.

It may be a more difficult and extreme, but it eliminates the need for a pin and allows the handle, spacers, and pommel to tighten very securely. The whole assembly is "screwed and glued" together.

I did a tutorial years ago which is located at HERE but here are a few photos to get the idea across.

 

[LARRYZ10]

Mike , I have seen these photos before and I love the way you attached the cap to the antler. First class!! Thanks for the info. Larry Lehman