putting on a handle

[IUBI]

a friend of a friend got a bunch of Marbles blanks from his welding company. I dont know what the tang is called but maybe(probably) you guys can help me out. The tang is really skinny and it goes right down the middle of the blade. I think its called "rat tail".

well anyway, i know this is a silly question but how do i put the handle on? There is an article on the new knives illustrated. On their knife there are threads on the top and bottom of the tang; mine does not have that.

i thought just to get a recatangle piece of maple burl, drill a hole right down the middle, put a bunch of epoxy in the hole and just sand the maple until it "feels good".

this is probably not the way to do it. can you guys give me some advice? thanks

 

[O-1 fan]

actuall thats not all that far off.
Does th tang have notches cut out of it,if so that is for the glue to hang on to.
See i make most of my blades that way,with i beleive it`s called a rat tail,or taperd tang,then i use a drill to drill a slot in
the horn or in your case maple then when it fits good just fill with lots of glue i use JB weld have good results, that stuff once dried does not let go.
I think they also call that a hidden tang
hop this helps i really suck at explaining stuff,but i know how to do the stuff in my head.

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That which does not kill you, only makes you stronger

 

[Guy Thomas]

What you've got is a through tang or a narrow tang blank. You have the right idea about the handle, but you might want to consider having the tang protrude from the butt of the handle slightly so that you can put a washer over it and then peen the end of the tang to tightly hold the handle onto the knife. Use the epoxy also which will seal the opening at the font of the handle as an added benefit.
Alternatively you can file the last inch or so of the tang to a even size and roundness and cut some threads on it with a die. The tang should be soft enough to file. Then all you need is a nice washer and nut to hold the handle on. Again also use epoxy.
Pay close attention to the front opening of the handle, you want it to fit snugly against the shoulders of the blade, perhaps even recessed slighlty into the handle.
You can do this with or without a metal guard. Most Scandinavian knives are made this way with or without guards. Good luck! Guy T.

P.S.-I might add that most of the production Scandinavian knives don't use the epoxy but the sealing benefits are worth it.

There is a tutorial on making this type of handle at www.ragweedforge.com
Ragnar's a great guy, check nim out. Everybody else, let me know if I've missed something here.!