Ontario Pilot knife... loose pommel. Help/advice/tips?

[puukkoman]

Hey, everyone. I have an Ontario Pilot's Survival Knife (dated 2/80... guess he's got a birthday coming up! ), and the pommel has developed a serious wiggle. The leather washers are all still tight, and so is the guard, and otherwise the handle is in great shape.
I'm wondering how these are attached to the tang. I'd like to tighten it up somehow, but don't know how to go about it.
Anybody have pics of what these look like when they're disassembled? Or maybe someone can tell me how the pommel is attached?
Thanks!
Alex

 

[rayban]

A picture or two would help

 

[Blue Sky]

The tang extends through the pommel and is peened over to hold it in place, like a rivet. If you want to tighten it up, you would probably have to clamp the blade vertically in a vice and use a ball peen hammer to flare the tang end some more.

 

[Uncle Timbo]

I have a Pal RH, knife from WWII w/stacked leather and a alum pommel. My leather and pommel were very loose. I sent them to a knifemaker here on the forums and he restacked/glued the leather after drilling out the pommel pin. He then redrilled and put in a new pommel pin. Better than new. He also reground the belly out of her. If I can find the pics I'll post em up. Good luck to you.

 

[Blue Sky]

The USMC/Kabar type knives have pins through the pommel, the Pilot's knives do not.

 

[richard j]

if its like this knife you can do what blue sky said. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=587129
if you want someone to fix it for you i do that too.

 

[Blue Sky]

Perhaps it's time to clarify just what were talking about here. In this pic the top knife is the Pilot's knife (peened) The lower is a Kabar shorty (pinned).

 

[puukkoman]

I guess that was my question... I can't see a pin on this knife's steel pommel (yes, it is like the top one in Blue Sky's picture), and was wondering if it were attached another way besides just being peened. Guess I'll smack it tighter. Thanks, everyone! :thumbup:

 

[Frankki]

I knew I had a pic somewhere but it took a while to find it. This is how they look when apart, this one's a Camillus but quite the same thing. Had a similar thing happen, pommel nut came loose and I had some intention of making a different handle for it and doing some other pimping as well, but eventually forgot about that project.

 

[Poez]

Glue thin thread and wind it tight between the pommel and the leather stack - this is the simplest way to fix it.