how to solder the gaurd on? is my order wrong?

Knifemaker87

Knifemaker87

Joined
Jan 2, 2006
Messages
1,073
hey guys... i realize this is a slightly newbie question.... soldering a steel guard on a large bowie.

When soldering a gaurd onto a hidden tang knife, i assume you finish everything first. Correct?

So the blade is heat treated and sanded to final polish, The guard is shaped and finished, and everything is clean..

now.. you put the gaurd on the blade and heat them both up (after applying flux) till the solder will flow into the gap. that is no problem.....

except that the guard is now heat colored as is the base of the blade. Am i doing something wrong.. or the order.. or is this normal and i should just clean it up afterwards?

I have never soldered a guard before... can you help me out?

thanks!
~Chris
 
Chris, You've got the order of things right, ( at least thats how I do it). there will be some clean-up afterwards. Try using a q-tip dipped in the flux to wipe the heat-coloring right off.

Shawn
 
what kind of solder are you using


I use Stay Brite solder which flows at under 400 Degrees which won't leave a heat color
 
you are heating from the bottom up , correct ? Also , you will want to concentrate the majority of the heat on the largest portion of steel ( I.E.) the tang , the guard will absorb the heat from there .
 
ONeill said:
you are heating from the bottom up , correct ? Also , you will want to concentrate the majority of the heat on the largest portion of steel ( I.E.) the tang , the guard will absorb the heat from there .
Click to expand...

yep! i was heating from the tang up. but i had to heat up the gaurd too.. and it kinda scared me when it started changing color when i was done... you know? i was using plumbing solder. i guess i need some cooler solder or something.

i am gonna give it another whirl. thanks so much for your help!
~Chris
 
Knifemaker87 said:
yep! i was heating from the tang up. but i had to heat up the gaurd too.. and it kinda scared me when it started changing color when i was done... you know? i was using plumbing solder. i guess i need some cooler solder or something.

i am gonna give it another whirl. thanks so much for your help!
~Chris
Click to expand...

yeah, I'd definitely get some sliver solder, plumbing solder never seems to work for me.......
 
When I switched to sta-brite my soldering improved greatly. I used plumbing solders before that and had some poor-a$$ results. Sta-brite is a good investment, I use the liquid flux for it. Besides, it has higher shear strength than other soft solders. You do have the soldering process in the right order, though.
 
Couple other tips, cut small pieces of solder and place in the crack between the guard and the blade... heat from below... be gentel with the torch, when the flux starts to bubble remove the heat and wait a couple of seconds, let the heat reach the solder, if it doent melt, apply the heat again for a couple of seconds and then remove. You will get a feel for the amount of heat, this will make cleanup easier and a better joint.

For cleanup use a sharp piece of brass, it will remove the solder without scratching.
 
Chris,

Will you be able to make the hammer-in up here in the 16th-17th? J. Neilson will be demonstrating a knife start to finish and I guarantee he'll be doing guard soldering. That alone is worth the $35 entry fee :) If it's not finished up by then, bring your blade along and we can get your soldering done too...

I've taken to using paste solder from Pops knife supply. Make a nice, tight fit on the guard then clean the guard and blade. take a toothpick and put just a little paste solder on each piece to be soldered and fit them up. Wipe off excess and heat until you see the flux bubble. Done. Easy. Almost no cleanup.

Whatever you do, remember to neutralize the flux (it's acidic after all). What I do for this is to boil the solder joint in a mix of baking soda and water for about 10 minutes. It will keep flux from leeching back out as rust later.

-d
 
deker said:
Chris,

Will you be able to make the hammer-in up here in the 16th-17th? J. Neilson will be demonstrating a knife start to finish and I guarantee he'll be doing guard soldering. That alone is worth the $35 entry fee :) If it's not finished up by then, bring your blade along and we can get your soldering done too...

I've taken to using paste solder from Pops knife supply. Make a nice, tight fit on the guard then clean the guard and blade. take a toothpick and put just a little paste solder on each piece to be soldered and fit them up. Wipe off excess and heat until you see the flux bubble. Done. Easy. Almost no cleanup.

Whatever you do, remember to neutralize the flux (it's acidic after all). What I do for this is to boil the solder joint in a mix of baking soda and water for about 10 minutes. It will keep flux from leeching back out as rust later.

-d
Click to expand...


hey!
sadly i will not be able to make it up due to summer classes. I would REALLY like to see a start to finish knife as i think i am doing most of my stuff backwards. I did finish the knife. and the soldering came out... well.. it needs practice. i did get some silver solder though, and it worked much better. the handle is pinned and the knife is done, i just have to get pictures of it. I love ironwood. *grins* and that damascus DID come out with a hamon and i didnt clay it up! gahhhh! i am going to try clay on the other peice of the blade (i have about 1/3 of the billet left).

it will be up for sale as soon as i can get pictures of it.

I have already copied and pasted this soldering info into my "little black book" of tips and tricks. it is WONDERFUL information. i apprecaite it greatly.
thanks so much!
~Chris
 
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