Tang construction, Gil Hibben tundra bushcraft knife

I do partial tangs, as does Phil Wilson and several others and for a light duty cutting instrument they are plenty strong, depending on how the blade is fixed to the scales. The problem with that Bud-K example is that it introduces numerous failure points that could, well, fail during use.

That Rough Rider semi-full tang is/was used quite extensively by Randall, and I wouldn't call them cheap, or weak, or poorly designed.
 
Gil's designs are among my childhood favorites, and have made him famous and rich. It's great that even today he's still at the craft and lending his creativity to the market and films, but dang is it shameful how the license holders turn his works of art into junk products for mass consumption. I've amassed a decent fistful of lovely specimens, but their poor construction taught me to only buy them second hand for dirt cheap.
 
killgar said:
Just like tltt said. Here's a picture of a Gil Hibben Tundra Hunter.

Sneaky bastards.


View attachment 2880347
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Looks like just two spot welds old it together. . . .and maybe a decorative pin. I have always had higher confidence in a full tang.
So, is this construction technique cheaper to produce in some way?

I can imagine out-sourcing the handle assembly. Perhaps the saving in blade steel makes a difference in volume production.

Samuri swords have a stub tang. Many bronze age swords had the grip p;ortion riveted onto the back of the blade.
 
Everything is about cost in manufacturing of this nature. By utilizing this method, only the actual blade needs to be cutlery steel. This also means a much smaller piece of steel has to be heat treated and then surfaced and cleaned up after heat treat. The guard and rest of the frame/handle can be pretty much any old stainless, which will be significantly cheaper, and because it will be much softer it will be much easier to work and finish.

It can also be done separately so when the blade is finished, slap on the guard tack on the handle frame and put on the handle scales. This also allows them to utilize almost any handle shape they want, without having to worry about fitting the guard up over the bottom of the handle and up to the blade. Or facing the same problem if the guard slid down the blade towards the handle to fit in place.

Sam⚔️⚔️
 
oldmanwilly said:
How is that construction any cheaper or efficient than just doing a through tang, or a longer partial tang? Is the cost for the extra few ounces of steel really enough to justify this?
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weird aint it? but they aren't alone. as an example.....spanish joker does it on some of the cheap models......and i assume it is cheaper as jokers with full tangs, more money...the ones like this...cheaper. sometimes same steel, and grips.
 
Fonedork said:
He’s a master bladesmith
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Obviously not full tang, but I bet he can punch a hole in space and time with that bad boy.

Art-Knife-10.jpg
 
navman said:
I do partial tangs, as does Phil Wilson and several others and for a light duty cutting instrument they are plenty strong, depending on how the blade is fixed to the scales. The problem with that Bud-K example is that it introduces numerous failure points that could, well, fail during use.

That Rough Rider semi-full tang is/was used quite extensively by Randall, and I wouldn't call them cheap, or weak, or poorly designed.
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If I wanted to improve mine, how could I sgtrengthen the tang? weld on a piece of metal to the stub to extend the full length of the handle? then attach scales?
 
deltablade said:
If I wanted to improve mine, how could I sgtrengthen the tang? weld on a piece of metal to the stub to extend the full length of the handle? then attach scales?
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What do you use the knife for? I can't imagine it snapping in normal usage. I would think you would have to do some kind of batoning to break it.
 
deltablade said:
If I wanted to improve mine, how could I sgtrengthen the tang? weld on a piece of metal to the stub to extend the full length of the handle? then attach scales?
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It’s designed to hang on a wall as decoration. If you plan to use it, it can fail dangerously. We don’t know what the handle is made from, and the guard and pommel are likely pot metal. If I were you I would return it to vendor for a full credit.

N2s
 
There is not much you can do practically speaking to strengthen that knife. Welding on the tang is going to complicate things, unless you re-heat treat the blade. I doubt you want to go through that trouble for that knife. Then you still have to decide what you want to do to make a handle out of that thing. As mentioned, I would just hang on a wall, return it, or use it for light work around the house where it doesn't matter if it fails.

The length of the tang isn't really the problem, it's the way the rest of the handle is attached to it. I make hollow handle survival knives with tangs even smaller than that, and you can literally do chin-ups off them. But they're designed from the ground up for that. That knife is designed from the ground up to be cheap in mass production. That's the factory at work, not Gil.

Sam⚔️⚔️

deltablade said:
If I wanted to improve mine, how could I sgtrengthen the tang? weld on a piece of metal to the stub to extend the full length of the handle? then attach scales?
Click to expand...
 
deltablade said:
If I wanted to improve mine, how could I sgtrengthen the tang? weld on a piece of metal to the stub to extend the full length of the handle? then attach scales?
Click to expand...
Sam covered it. No welding required. I use three pins and epoxy with a correctly sized spacer of either g10 or micarta. Ensure the ends are square and true.
 
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