Help with Tang Peening

C

constantine

Joined
Aug 23, 2010
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I recently decided to attempt making some knives of my own. I am using carbon steel blades from Laurin Metalli, and am making hidden-tang knives with the tang end peened over a nut/washer at the pommel. I have made 15 knives so far, and while I have learned a lot and have overcome many challenges, I am still struggling with peening the tang end at the pommel. I have watched dozens of tutorials on YouTube and read many articles on knife-making forums, but I still have not been able to successfully peen a tang to “lock together” the knife. I am hoping that some expert knife makers can tell me where I am going wrong. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Here are the different approaches that I have attempted:
  • I have tried with the blade held point-down in a vise, and with the blade tip resting cross-grain on a piece of hardwood.
  • I have annealed the tip of the tang by heating it to bright orange with a hand torch and letting it cool in the air. I have learned that I should only heat the tip of the tang because if I heat any more than the last half inch or so, the tang bends when I am peening it.
  • I have tried peening with light (8 oz) and heavy (2 lb) peening hammers.
  • I tap lightly on the tang with the peening hammer, and after every 500 taps I lightly grind the tang to remove any metal that has been hardened by the tapping.
  • I typically tap the tang between 2000 and 3000 times.
During every attempt, the tip of the tang begins to widen, but then stops widening after the first 100-200 taps. Then I grind it and it widens a little bit but again stops after the first 100-200 taps. During my most recent attempt, I was using a large butt plate instead of a washer. The butt plate started out slightly convex, but flattened as I was peening the tang even though the tang never “locked together” with the handle; the handle was always a little loose. The butt plate eventually fully flattened and then started to turn concave, but still the tang wasn’t tightening the union of the blade and the handle.

Another problem that I am facing is that the edge of the blade near the bolster is being damaged somehow. Approximately 1/4-1/2 inch of the edge is breaking off, at the base of the blade where it meets the bolster. The blades do not have ricassos, so I suspect that the edge is being damaged by repeatedly being forced against the bolster while I am peening the tang, even though I am tapping lightly.

I know that there are other types of knives that I could make, by using epoxy to hold the tang in the handle or by using a blade which has a ricasso, but I am trying to take a traditional approach but I am not having much success. Does anyone have any thoughts or advice that might help me?

Thanks!
 
The tang will be softer if you heat it to a dull red several times. My guess is that the end of your tang is too hard.

Hoss
 
What kind of torch are you using to heat the tang?

A small oxy-acetylene torch should get the very tip of the tang hot enough that you could do it hot, if you're quick about it and have a metal pommel...
 
An 8 oz. hammer is really too big, and it sounds like you are hitting it too hard. 2000-3000 hits is just wrong. You should not have to grind the tang while you are peening it.
Why not thread the tang and use a nut?
 
How much larger is the hole compared to the tang?
When I make a slipjoint I have a 3mm pin go trough a 3mm hole. I use a conical reamer 1:50 and give it one full turn. This makes the hole at the top app. 3.02mm when I peen everything.
That is enough to hold everything.
Your problem may be that you try to fill a to large hole
 
Welcome Constantine. Fill out your profile so we know where you live and a bit about you.
Pictures of the knife, tang, and the edge damage would help a lot.


I suspect the issue isn't at the tang/butt cap ... it is at the blade/bolster junction. You need a solid step transition where the tang meets the blade for the bolster to seat against, or the tang hammering just pulls the blade into the bolster/guard and nothing gets tight. Your edge damage indicates this is the problem.

What will help:
6oz -8oz hammer
proper seat at the tang/blade junction
Tapered hole through butt cap with snug fitting and annealed tang end. The hole taper is only a small amount. Use a tapered reamer for best fit.
Tapping with medium force - should only take 50 or so blows - don't over peen.
Thread the butt cap and tang. Apply epoxy to the handle hole and install tang, wipe off excess and screw butt cap down snug. Let cure and peen lightly to lock the cap down, or just cut off the excess and grind it smooth.
 
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