How do you fasten a guard on a bowie?

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peppen108

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Apr 14, 2012
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klc01700_sheffield_style_bowie1_ce_pop_up.jpg


How do you fasten a guard like this (say 5mm) if you want it bullet proof?
 
Three choices:
1) Make the tang a couple mm narrower than the ricasso, and have a tiny shoulder on each side.

2) Make the tang the same width as the ricasso, and have a vertical shoulder running along the ricasso. On a thick knife ,like a Bowie, this works well.

3) Make a frame handle.
 
It looks like 1) has stood the test of time on some very old knives. Is there any reason to improve it whit hidden nuts or rivets. Or does the support of wooden scales hold up?

3) i did not know about. Thank you for sharing that. Now i can stop scratching my beard looking at some designs.
 
Number 1) as Stacy described. No real need for pins or rivets; on a guard that thin you may weaken the piece by drilling it anyway. I'm terrible at soldering and use JB-Weld instead, along with a press-fit against the shoulders. It's mostly there to seal out moisture; properly lined-up and built, the scales would likely keep everything plenty snug. But with a tight fit and a little JB-Weld, it takes a good deal of pounding to get such a guard to come loose. (I know this because I've goofed up a couple and had to take them off :o)
 
@1234....

I have been testing out low temp solder just heating test peaces in the oven. And the results have been solder everywhere but in the gap by the guard. Have any one seen a god instruction on this. I know there is one in a Loveless-video but he uses a endmill in a special jig to clean it up.
 
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@james terrio

Nice. That is the the road I have been heading down. But i bout another cheaper metal epoxy. That does not full harden. I guess JB weld gets really hard, right?
 
Yes, JB Weld is quite strong. It costs less than $10 and that gets you enough to secure many guards. Forget cheap adhesives. Knifemaking is not at all conducive to a "penny wise, pound foolish" approach.
 
Word!!!! Quality adhesives like West System or Brownells Acra Glass have shelf lives of 5-10 years and effective cured lives measured in multiple decades. In the case of West and the other high end marine epoxies, all of the heavy lifting as far as proving the product has been done folks like the custom boat builders in South Florida like Rybovich over the last 60 or so years.
james terrio said:
Yes, JB Weld is quite strong. It costs less than $10 and that gets you enough to secure many guards. Forget cheap adhesives. Knifemaking is not at all conducive to a "penny wise, pound foolish" approach.
Click to expand...
 
I don't think those hidden nut holes are necessary since the handle would be butted up to the bolster and provide the same support. Also, I've never seen anyone do soldering in an oven, not sure how that would work.
 
I know how it works, kind of bad. :) I just wanted tho heat the bits evenly so the was no cold spots under the guard that prevent the solder to get there.
 
peppen108 said:
This is the blade.

IMG_0135.jpg
Click to expand...

How thick is the blade?
and why are your bevels so low?

I would full flat grind

It's such a fat angle.
I don't understand this popularity to put a scandi grind on everything

Think razor blades, not splitting maul.
 
3,5mm whit an edge angle of 22 degrees or something. I like this geometry because the way i strop the knife they get to a steady state. By steady state i mean that the stropping forms a semi convex edge that i don't have to touch up. Shaved my self whit a knife whit ARNE steel from the same company that made this AEB-L steel and about that angle and geometry yesterday actually. I was touch up 6 month ago and it is my go to knife so its had about 20 15 minutes stropping sessions since. But the reason why this knife looks so brut is that its a tool knife not a hunting-knife. Full flat grinds looks better but I have yet to master them.
 
And tanks when I mean thanks, and god for good, and fore for for. I hope its not to annoying. I try to watch my language. Thanks for telling me. Full flats or at least higher bevels is definitely the next step.
 
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