Some Tips for Stick Tangs

Joined
Sep 23, 1999
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A couple months ago I picked up a dagger that I had made for friend way back during my first year of knife making. Looked at it and touched the blade, so I figured I'd wipe it off on my shirt. Started the wipe and snap, the blade broke off at the hilt. :o It had a stick tang and a soldered guard and an L 6 blade. I learned three things that day. When you make a stick tang, leave some shoulders at the hilt, don't grind it square where the tang starts. Where the shoulders meet the tang, make the joint/transition curved, not a sharp angle. Always neutralize the flux after soldering by dipping the blade in some water and baking soda solution or it will eat away at carbon steel and weaken it. Thats what I think happened to this dagger. I looked at it and it had some discoloration that might have been rust. I also considered the possibility that someone did some prying with the dagger, broken it, and super glued it back together to cover it up. :mad: It looked real glossy around the end of the handle and the guard where it went together. Lesson three? Never ever ever touch, handle, pickup, or play with something when it isn't absolutely necessary! If ya don't touch it, you can't break it! Since it was one of my earliest knives and I have given the gentleman knives as gifts and at discount prices, he didn't ask for a repair or replacement. :DWhew!

<img src=http://members.aol.com/l6steel/sticktang.jpg>
 
you are still to square for me, I keep those inside corners radiused, and draw the temper color dark blue in the ricasso area to light blue on the tang.

sharp corners just beg for stress fracture problems:rolleyes:
 
If you look at the tang of European broadswords, the shoulder area is always radised. Also the tang were wrought iron and were significantly thicker than the blade.

The old masters knew how to make things tough.
 
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