How to properly attach a guard?

[Bill Burke]

Cut the notch in the bottom of the blade. put the guard material up on the knife and then squeeze the gap closed with a press or you can hammer it together to close the gap if you dont have a press. remove the guard from the blade and file/sand the front and rear flat again. it the sides stwist out of alignment you may have to tap them flat again before filing. I would also drill the guard from side to side and the blade and put in a brass pin and peen it into place or you can solder it on after you have the gap closed up. to solder slide the guard into place on the knife. then put the blade guard assembly into a vice with the bottom of the guard up and the point of the knife down. wipe a little bit of flux around the joint and carfully apply heat. when the flux starts to lightly bubble touch some solder to the handle side of the joint it should start to melt after just a second or so, if not the heat a little more. be careful and try not to get it too hot or the flux will quit working. if the solder melts but wont stick to the guard/ blade the you most likely got things too hot and burnt the flux. just reflux and try again. if you have a Kand G catalog they show this in there.

 

[timcsaw]

Just getting around to posting some pics of the finished product. I had originally intended to make this for my next door neighbor, but I like it... I'm keeping it for me!

He actually wanted something a bit different anyway so I'm working on another for him.

The handle is cross-cut zebra wood, with ram's horn and a faux-guard/bolster. Kinda looks like a guard but it's actually a pinned bolster. Finish is tung oil.

I've started doing some wooden sheath work and will probably make one up for this knife.

 

[Dan Pierson]

I like that a lot. The rams horn and wood go beautifully together.