Softening brass to correct and error

R

RickJoW

Joined
Feb 22, 2022
Messages
14
Hi Fellas

I am working on thr knife below. The brass plates that stretch up the blade were filed to fit into the guard ( by way of their own mini-tang that goes into the guard) and are secured by way of brass bar that I peened and polished over. The issue is, with the hammering to dome the bolts the parts travelled a touch. The result is the plates and gaurd do not fit up, as they used to pre-permanent assembly, and I need to "nudge' them back..

Ive tried this before on another brass piece for a different blade and the barss just melted. I need to soten the portion of the tang (marked in orange) and close the gap. I cannot do this when cold as it will likely break the brass rod inside. My solution, not attempted yet, was a to get a blowtorch and soften the area and try to close it. I was wondering if anyone else had a better idea?

Many thanks


blade.jpg
 
hmmm if its attached to the blade i cant figure out how to get the brass red hot to anneal without harming the heat treat. is it possible to drive the pin out, fix and solder the gap and re pin? solder might keep it from happening the next time.
 
Thanks. I dont have a solder Im afraid. I wanted it to be a mechanical fastenign rather than using epoxy etc.

Wouldnt I just have to heat the guard , becasue of the continuum between "cold" and " molten, until barely melleable, and then tip the btass components into place? I think thats my only option as I cant really get the pin out without destroying a lot of work.
 
Brass is softened by heating and cooling rapidly. Heat the area until just barely red and quench in water. It will be soft.
 
Last edited:
Non-ferrous metals like brass, silver, gold, etc. anneal by rapid cooling, which is the opposite of ferrous metals like steel.
The heat can be slow or fast, doesn't make any difference. Once the brass gets to 700-800°F/370-425°C, cool it in water.

Here is how I anneal brass and silver parts:
I heat the brass until it just gets a hint of red, which is somewhere around 1000°F. I allow it to cool for a few seconds and then quench in room temp water.

TIPS:
As you hammer brass, it work-hardens, so you may have to re-anneal frequently if forging brass to shape.
Do not forge brass while red hot. It will crack and/or fall apart.
 
One does not work brass while it's hot- it will break or fail.
Anneal the brass before working it.
I would remove both parts, fit them together, and hard-solder them. Then, put them on the blade.
You don't have to hit pins hard. Tap them just enough to upset the head into the hole.
 
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