Peening on Pommel Perchance Preposterous?

[redsquid2]

So I bought this thing, just out of curiosity, to see if I could find a use for it. It was listed in the catalog as a "pommel".

It looks like a delicate thing, and I don't know how exactly I would protect it while peening the tang. However, I also think it looks pretty cool.

I have never done any peening, but I am guessing that a flat washer would be more sensible.

Can this pommel be used with peening, or would a flat washer be better?

Thx for feedback.

Andy

 

[Bo T]

It is a ferrel. It is designed to fit over the wood and help keep the wood from splitting at the end of the handle. Look at the Mora #1. It has a ferrel to help keep the wood from splitting at the front of the knife. You need to fit the wood to the ferrel, leaving about an eighth to a quarter of an inch of tang beyond the ferrel. Anchor the blade in a vise using soft jaws to keep from marring the blade. Peen the ferrel in place to help hold the handle in place. Most epoxy the handle in place too. Be sure to soften the end of the tang.

 

[redsquid2]

It is a ferrel. It is designed to fit over the wood and help keep the wood from splitting at the end of the handle. Look at the Mora #1. It has a ferrel to help keep the wood from splitting at the front of the knife. You need to fit the wood to the ferrel, leaving about an eighth to a quarter of an inch of tang beyond the ferrel. Anchor the blade in a vise using soft jaws to keep from marring the blade. Peen the ferrel in place to help hold the handle in place. Most epoxy the handle in place too. Be sure to soften the end of the tang.

Thanks for the reply Bo. This item is tiny and it would not cover the entire end of a handle. It is only about 5/16" in diameter. Wonder if I could still use it.

 

[Bo T]

I've never used one so I'm guessing, it looks like a pommel rivet or a rivet washer. If it is you would use it on a softer handle, like stacked leather or birch bark to spread the force out from the peen over a larger area of the back of the handle. A flat washer would work as good or better. I've used a solid brass pommel and peened the tang into a slight counter sink. I thought about using a pommel rivet for a more refined look but decided against it.

You could place a round washer under the pommel rivet.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I call those "Pommel Caps". They cover the end of a handle and strengthen it. Chisels and screwdrivers often have one. It can be a simple thick washer, or a domed cap. It is usually a malleable metal.
A ferrule is used at the handle blade junction, and is a sleeve to strengthen that end of the handle from being split by the tang. A fun thing to know is that ferrule means "little iron bracelet in Latin. In older European knives and swords, these two items were common. Scandinavian knives usually have a pommel cap.

The pommel cap is placed over a through tang, and the tang is peened to hold it tight in place. I make them using a dapping block from copper for puuko, and in silver for sgian dubh knives. Most of those knives have a ferrule in a matching metal.