Pommel Mounting

Richard338

Richard338

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I am making a pair of Kris daggers (WIP in knifemaker's challenge thread).
I ordered a cobra pommel from the Ukraine for one of them.
It arrived today and looks pretty cool.
My tangs will end in threaded rod.
I assumed that the pommel would be solid and that I would drill and thread a hole.
Any suggestions on how to attach this hollow pommel?
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If you can weld and it's steel, fill in the cavity with a block and thread that?
You could fill it with wood from the handle, but I'd be willing to bet that wouldnt be a good idea if you ever try chopping or slashing for any amount of time.
Another safe bet would be to Pin a small block of steel inside the cavity, epoxy for good measure, and then tap the filled cavity.
 
I'm not certain what the metal is, likely some sort of brass. I may try to shape a plug of steel and JB weld that inside, then thread that...
 
You could just fill it with jb weld when you glue it up...
 
Probably... it’s just an epoxy with metal in it. It might not be the best way to do things, but it would probably work.

I think I would probably thread the end of the tang and put a bolt on it, shape the handle to fit on there with a lip, then fill the cavity with epoxy so that the bolt is “locked” into the pommel when it dries.

That way you can arrange for a good, seamless fit, and not have a hollow pommel.

But I’m just an amateur, I’m sure someone has better ideas...
 
I would bet that casting is zinc, not brass.
JB Weld won't hold on a threaded tang. As stated-make a metal (breass, steel, even aluminum) plug that fits in the cavity well, epoxy it, pin it through, finish the bottom off flush, drill and tap it.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
I would bet that casting is zinc, not brass.
JB Weld won't hold on a threaded tang. As stated-make a metal (breass, steel, even aluminum) plug that fits in the cavity well, epoxy it, pin it through, finish the bottom off flush, drill and tap it.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a plan. Thanks.
 
They are cast in nickel silver ( white brass). The simplest method to make it screw on is to fill it with JB weld and put a threaded insert in the center. Best way would be to grease a piece of threaded 1/4-20 rod and screw it into the insert ( or whatever thread size your tang will be). Set the snake head in a blob of putty or clay so it is upright and fill with JB weld. Stick the rod and insert in the epoxy and hold/brace/suspend as the epoxy sets up. Once fully cured, remove the threaded rod, clean up on the grinder, and screw on the threaded tang of the knife. I have done this with those Ukraine castings and it works fine.

The other way is to make the end/front of the knife shaped to fit inside of the hollow ( doesn't need to be super exact) and use epoxy or JB Weld to affix. You can add a pin from the side if desired.
 
Why not clean the inside out good, flux it up and fill with a lead less solder. You could drill and tap the solder or just tin up a bolt and set into the hot solder.
 
Thanks everyone for all the good ideas. Now I'm not too worried about the pommel. I'm going to try to get the blades sent for HT while I have to travel next week.
 
One issue you may run into with those cast pommels is many are oval and shaped with curves. You can't screw them on to a threaded tang.

The solution for that is to take a 2" or 3" long 1/4" bolt and put the head in the pommel and fill it with epoxy so it leaves the threaded shank sticking out, I drill the handle to fit the bolt loosely, and when the handle is completely fitted to the pommel, fill the hole with epoxy and stick in the bolt shank. This will make a very strong assembly.
 
Since so many people were helpful with replies I'll show what I did in the end.
I was looking for something else and saw a mild steel pommel that I had made for a different dagger (already drilled and threaded), but had botched the shape a little and discarded it.
I ground it down with a 36 belt to fit inside this pommel, roughed it with some grippy gouges and filled the gap with JB Weld.
I left the rod in for now to keep it straight.
Once dry, I'll sand it flat across the bottom.
Thanks again everyone.
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