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swage & pin?
- Thread starter willy m
- Start date
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2005
- Messages
- 1,297
I'm not sure what you mean by "swaging" a guard, but here are some links to tutorials on fitting a guard:
Bob Engnath's "Guard Fitting" info.
Tim Zowada's "Fitting a Guard with Simple Tools".
Hopefully, one or both of these will answer your questions.
Bob Engnath's "Guard Fitting" info.
Tim Zowada's "Fitting a Guard with Simple Tools".
Hopefully, one or both of these will answer your questions.
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith
ilmarinen - MODERATOR
Moderator
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2004
- Messages
- 38,513
Willy,
Swaging is a term that refers to swelling up a piece of metal or tubing to make it fit tight . You just malleate or squeeze the metal (It must be malleable,like brass), and it deforms ,thus making the fit tighter. If the guard is too loose, you can take it off and hammer it from the proper directions (usually 90 degrees to the direction you want the metal to move) and the hole will get smaller. On a guard ,take it and set the front of the guard on the anvil. Strike the back with a flat faced hammer and the hole will reduce. You can also put it in a press and do the same thing.Once the hole is reduced so the guard won't slip on fully, gently tap the guard into position until you have a perfect fit. Now just clean up the dings and you are ready to solder the guard on.
For pinning the guard on (this is usually done only on large blades, like bowies or machetes) , you drill two small holes through the guard and blade tang. These are often 1/8". This is done prior to HT, of course. After HT, when the blade is ready for assembly, the guard is slipped on and brass pins are inserted through the holes. The pins are peened until they are flush with the guard face. This also tightens up a little bit of the slop in the fit if there is any. Once the pins are peened, the surface is filed and sanded,making the pins nearly invisible.
Stacy
Swaging is a term that refers to swelling up a piece of metal or tubing to make it fit tight . You just malleate or squeeze the metal (It must be malleable,like brass), and it deforms ,thus making the fit tighter. If the guard is too loose, you can take it off and hammer it from the proper directions (usually 90 degrees to the direction you want the metal to move) and the hole will get smaller. On a guard ,take it and set the front of the guard on the anvil. Strike the back with a flat faced hammer and the hole will reduce. You can also put it in a press and do the same thing.Once the hole is reduced so the guard won't slip on fully, gently tap the guard into position until you have a perfect fit. Now just clean up the dings and you are ready to solder the guard on.
For pinning the guard on (this is usually done only on large blades, like bowies or machetes) , you drill two small holes through the guard and blade tang. These are often 1/8". This is done prior to HT, of course. After HT, when the blade is ready for assembly, the guard is slipped on and brass pins are inserted through the holes. The pins are peened until they are flush with the guard face. This also tightens up a little bit of the slop in the fit if there is any. Once the pins are peened, the surface is filed and sanded,making the pins nearly invisible.
Stacy