how much of a mistake can you accept?

T

Tune_up

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Sep 14, 2010
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I guess I am really just venting because I already know what I am going to do but would really like for someone to talk me out of it, or suggest how I can fix this. I had bought this thick (.230) piece of damascus without a specific plan. After I looked at it for a couple of months it started looking like a fighter. Now I am a begginer, having built 6 full tang hunter variations , all with bolsters, so I decided I would build a hunter with a guard as practice. That knife went well, and although the guard was not seamless, it was acceptable and I knew I could do it better.
Back to the fighter, The piece of damascus was long enough to make the knive and have a piece to use as a guard and buttcap.
Problem, The good
http://s806.photobucket.com/albums/yy349/tune_up5/?action=view&current=_DSC5045.jpg
The bad and ugly!
http://s806.photobucket.com/albums/yy349/tune_up5/?action=view&current=_DSC5047.jpg
Now to rationalize, if I can fill the gap with silver solder or black epoxy, it's damascus and the black and sliver might camoflage the gap. Any way to repair this?

This knife is not for sale, I was building it for myself but a this point I am going to trash the plan of a damascus guard and and re-planning the handle. Any suggestions, brass, stainless or n/s?
 
You could try using a small piece of hardened steel and a press of some sort. The thought process being to smash the opening, causing it to shrink. A ball peen hammer might work out for you as well.
 
Sam Salvati said:
remake the guard, no big deal
Click to expand...

I agree, it will be even better. I am in a similar situation right now with a tiny gap on each side of a dagger gaurd I'm working on.

Mild steel would be inexpensive and look great.
 
A good "rule of thumb" is that if you aren't proud of it, don't let it out of your shop. Remember, it's not a mistake until you can't fix it. :):)
 
if the damacuss is well annealed you should be able to smack it on the edge with a hammer and close up the gap then re file the slot being more careful this time. sometimes doing this will put a curve in the material and it will have to be ground flat again. if this don't work you are not really out much but some time.
 
Someone once told me that being a good knifemaker was not so much about perfect execution of your design - and all about fixing your screw-ups (which we refer to as respecified design parameters).

I think you have a great opportunity to try those skills on the damascus guard as some have suggested above. If it doesn't work, you've only lost some time... but I suspect you can make it work. It's steel. Move it. :)

Rob!
 
First, trying to hide a mistake will only look amateurish. It will not make it invisible just like you mad a mistake. You will always know it is there and it will bug you until you either fix it right or destroy the knife. It is not that difficult at this point to peen the side of the slot to make the material expand into the gap like Bill described. If it does not work then get another piece of guard material and try again.
 
Redo it. Fitting the guard is one of the easier parts, redoing it now will be better than hating it later and tearing the knife apart or constantly thinking about your mistake.
 
KnifeMaker.ca said:
Someone once told me that being a good knifemaker was not so much about perfect execution of your design - and all about fixing your screw-ups (which we refer to as respecified design parameters).

I think you have a great opportunity to try those skills on the damascus guard as some have suggested above. If it doesn't work, you've only lost some time... but I suspect you can make it work. It's steel. Move it. :)

Rob!
Click to expand...


This sums up my adventures through knife making exactly - thanks Rob :):thumbup:
 
thanks everyone for your replies. I am going to try to close it and re-file, but if I can't make it look good I'll just redo the guard in another metal.
 
Or you can make a very narow guard that fits the blade and only covers enough of the gap to have it disappear.
It would be like a double guard.
 
Take the lessons learned and make one that you can be proud of. When I have had similar issues I made another and another and another if I had to, till I got it right.
 
I have had to deal with this exact situation on several knives and swords in the past. Most were for a friend who had not yet figured out that the slots he was cutting in the guard were rectangular, but the blade at the ricasso was tapered to almost a triangle. Other times it was on Japanese blades with a large nakago ana in the tsuba.

What I did on some was re-work the guard with a hammer to close up the bottom of the slot. This worked for small gaps.

On big gaps, I made an escutcheon plate. The term in Japanese for this cover plate is "seppa".
I took a piece of thin metal and cut a very snug fitting slot. I then shaped the metal into a shape that complimented the guard. A long oval for an oval guard, and a long diamond shape for a bowie guard. The surface can be polished or textured. This piece was then slipped on the blade in front of the main guard. It only needs to stick out a small amount from the blade....just enough to cover the larger hole in the guard. I have used the same metal as the guard and contrasting metals. Both look good. A small scrap of mokume gane hammered out into a thin sheet can make a really nice seppa.
 
bladsmth said:
On big gaps, I made an escutcheon plate. The term in Japanese for this cover plate is "seppa".
I took a piece of thin metal and cut a very snug fitting slot. I then shaped the metal into a shape that complimented the guard. A long oval for an oval guard, and a long diamond shape for a bowie guard. The surface can be polished or textured. This piece was then slipped on the blade in front of the main guard. It only needs to stick out a small amount from the blade....just enough to cover the larger hole in the guard. I have used the same metal as the guard and contrasting metals. Both look good. A small scrap of mokume gane hammered out into a thin sheet can make a really nice seppa.
Click to expand...

That's a way better way of saying what I mean :)
 
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