Question re: Peening the Tang

[redsquid2]

If put a tang all the way through, and then peen it, is it tricky?

Maybe I misunderstand peening. Are you hammering straight down to flatten out the butt of the tang, or are you bending the entire tang to one side or the other?

I imagine the washer sliding around all over the place, the guard coming loose, and/or the blade itself moving around ending up misaligned. How do you brace everything up so nothing moves, and the blade really gets tight?

I'm an amateur who has only done 8-9 knife projects. Is peening too advanced for me?

Thanks.

squiddy

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Thread the tang, and the pommel. Screw the pommel on the tang. Problem solved!

 

[Darrin Sanders]

What Bill said and if you want the hammered look just leave some of the threads sticking out and then peen that to get the look you want.

 

[Bo T]

Peening the tang is pretty basic. You should start by annealing (softening) the last 1/8" of the tang. This will make it easier to flatten the end of the tang. You should have a piece of metal to flatten the end of the tang over. A metal washer will work. The hole in the washer should be smaller than the tang. File the tang to fit. Fit everything so the the 1/8" of the tang is sticking out beyond the washer. Lock the knife in a vise with the tang sticking up. Use a hammer to flatten the end of the tang over the washer.
This is a historically accurate technique that can be used is a slightly different way to attach guards, bolsters, and scales to knives

 

[S.Grosvenor]

threading with pommel as mentioned, would be a good choice, meanwhile you could practice peening.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Leather or copper jaws on the vise and a block of wood for the tip to rest on works fine. Peening is not done with heavy blows. You can epoxy and clamp the handle and pommel, and then peen the tang after the epoxy sets up.

As suggested, the best assembly is to thread the tang and screw the pommel down tight, with epoxy in the tang hole. Once set up, trim the tang to 1/16-1/8" and peen for looks and security. If doing a pommel where threading isn't going to work, there are other options. A threaded pommel nut that insets into the pommel will allow the handle to be snugly attached. This is simply a piece of threaded tubing or cylinder that is the same material as the pommel. A the pommel tang hole is counter bored to fit the OD of the tube/cylinder. The nut is then tightened down into the recess until the pommel is locked snug. Once all is finished, the excess is cut off and filed flush. This is how most angled pommels or those with alignment pins are attached.

Another option, especially on a take down knife, is to use a decorative pommel nut. These are often called acorn nuts. They can be simple ,or fancy with lanyard rings . Thread a piece of round stock for the nut and then put it on a threaded mandrel ( all the same pitch as the tang threads). Turn or grind the nut to the desired shape and size. The nut is then used to lock the pommel in place ,but can be removed for disassembly. Make a pair of leather or nylon jawed pliers to tighten and loosen the nut, as it really can P!$$ you off when you mar the nut in tightening or removal.