Next Project... a take down.

A few pencil sketchings of guard shapes I'm considering. The problems I wanted to address were that the "head" end was too fat and the center area was too flat.

Dguards.jpg
 
I would have chosen #3 or #2. But it is your project. Keep us posted.

You will find it goes smoother to make the main bends in an even width bar, and then grind in the curves. If you do the curves first, it will try and bend more in the thinner areas, requiring a lot more hammer work to smooth the ripples out.
 
I switched from the grinder to the files and began refining the shape. Like Stacy, I wasn't pleased with the fact that the bend was going to hit the thick part of the guard.

DSCN6860.JPG
 
I messed up the blade today trying to attach the screw to the end. Let's face it, I was not born to weld. I did manage to attach the screw, but broke off part of the tang in the process. Once the screw was attached it was apparent that it was too wide to fit through the hole, so I sanded down the sides a little. It still threads a nut, but boy is it UGLY. I'm leaning toward making it a glue-up and trying the take-down thing on the next blade... and the one after that, if necessary... until I get it right.
 
I just shaped the D-guard and found out it is about 2 inches too long. Ah well, I took on this project to learn new things... I'm surely doing that.

DSCN6862.JPG
 
Actually, Patrice, when I originally cut the steel I made it too large on purpose. I'd used a tape measure to determine what size I needed, but I left some extra to allow me to make design choices later. The problem was I put the project aside for a long time and forgot that I'd left myself that design margin. Another senior moment brought to you by Father Time.
 
Some advise:

1)Fitting - Fit a handle to the tang and rough shape it. It can be a piece of pine, or the actual desired wood, but you need something to do the fitting with. It will allow you to calculate the finger clearance and feel how the hand fits. The knuckle clearance should be just slightly larger than needed, but have a snug feel.
As suggested, paper and cardboard are your friend here. Cut a strip and put it on the tang. Put the handle on next. Now, grip the handle and wrap the cardboard around your knuckles, marking where the tang is on the butt side. punch a hole there and see if the fit works. Move the hole on the cardboard until the guard fits the hand. Next, make a test guard from thin sheet metal or aluminum. Fit it to the tang and bend it with your fingers to the desired shape. If this fits and looks good, make a wooden shaping block to fit the prototype, and shape the final guard on this block.

2) Bending - Take to heart what I said about the way a bar of steel will bend. Bend it while the width and thickness is even. Anneal and bend while soft. If possible, do initial bends at dull red heat. Take a look at what you got from this failed try, and see how the bend angles don't look so attractive.

3) Proportions - If the handle is going to be too large for the blade, a D-guard may not be a good choice. Usually the blade will need to be at least twice the handle length to support a D-guard. 10" and longer works best. 8" is about the minimum. The "trench knife" look of your design will be OK, but a larger blade will have a better balance and feel, as well as look. Also consider the mass of the handle and guard compared to the blade mass. This greatly affects how practical a knife would be for defense.

4) Welding - Use a piece of 1/4" threaded rod or bolt. Weld it solidly to the tang, keeping the rod centered to the rectangular tang. Once the weld is cooled, temper the blade to remove weld embrittlement. Then grind the threaded rod flat to match the tang thickness. The threads remaining on the sides will be all that is needed for the tang not or pommel.
Some practice will improve your welding, but if unsure, get someone else to do it. The tang weld is a structural part of the knife, and needs to be right. The rod also needs to be strong enough itself. A 24" piece of thread-all and a 24" piece of mild steel from HD will cut about six practice welds. When possible, make a slot in the tang, and grind the rod to fit the slot snugly. A few hammer blows will expand the rod to a tight fit. Then weld the rod around the slot on both sides.
 
As you can see, the sanding effort is paying off. There are still some gouges left to work out, but it's just a matter of time and elbow grease.

DSCN6864.JPG


Still thinking of reverting to glue up construction.
 
Re-read the directions I gave. After welding the bolt to the tang, you grind the bolt sides flush so it is as thick as the tang. It will end up 1/8" thick and 1/4" wide, with threads on the edges.
 
Yeah, sorry, I replied before reading it all. I guess I'm resistant to this advice at the moment. I get that way sometimes. I've often been told I can be pig headed.

Anyway, that's basically what I did, save for using a smaller screw.
 
Latest images of the blade after several hours of hand sanding. Nearly finished removing all the divots and dimples I introduced with the grinder. Won't be long before I can graduate from 100 grit to 150 grit.

DSCN6878.JPG


DSCN6880.JPG
 
Greg, I see no reason to hand sand with such a large grit after the grinder. Maybe somebody with more experience than me can.
 
Perhaps you don't understand that my inexperience with the grinder caused the problems. Continued used of the grinder would only worsen the problems.

If you read between the lines you may see my frustration... which I keep at bay.
 
Let it out Greg, maybe it can help. I also feel frustrated that the grinder is not allowing you to spend less time hand sanding and with files. You have the dexterity needed. Just buy a boatload of mild steel, cut away many blanks and grind away. I can't see how a few hours away from hand sanding doing this won't yield some results. Best of luck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top