Unpinned hidden tang fixed blades

unwisefool said:
Well not for that one, it lost it's handle!
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Yeah, likely got brittle and broken when they moved these relics from Nepal. The building these items were in was in disrepair. The items didn't get much protection from outdoor weather and natures elements. But, it's still cool to have items that came from that great purchase of that building's contents done about 20+ years ago by the owners of Windlass Steelcrafts and International Military Arms... It was a joint venture by those two firms.
There was a video they put out of the move they made to get these items out to the public, and it was a great feat 👍

Ah, here it is...
 
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unwisefool said:
Well not for that one, it lost it's handle!
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The whole point of such construction in many cultures is that the blade is what matters, and the handle is expected to wear out long before the blade does. Doing it this way makes it much easer to replace. Its just a matter or driving the handle off and putting a new one on. Handles are cheap, good blades not so much.....
 
Arathol said:
The whole point of such construction in many cultures is that the blade is what matters, and the handle is expected to wear out long before the blade does. Doing it this way makes it much easer to replace. Its just a matter or driving the handle off and putting a new one on. Handles are cheap, good blades not so much.....
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Yeah man, it's a joke
 
Could there be something missing from the bottom of that tang perhaps a wider shaped portion after all of these years maybe still embedded in the old handle. It seems odd to just have a relatively stubby elongated triangle shape. That looks like something that would be very hard to secure.
 
I’m totally fine with hidden tang knives but unpinned (unless it’s some modern material like rubber/plastic) just screams murphy’s law for me. 😀
 
greater said:
Could there be something missing from the bottom of that tang perhaps a wider shaped portion after all of these years maybe still embedded in the old handle. It seems odd to just have a relatively stubby elongated triangle shape. That looks like something that would be very hard to secure.
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No, I have seen pics of the tangs they did on these knives before... The tang is what you see 👍
 
I think if its something like a SOG SEAL Team or Pup, where the FRN is moulded onto the tang, then I'm comfortable with it.
 
The stick/rat tail More Numbers 1; 2; and 3, (and others) are not known for losing their birch handle, even after decades of "hard"/bushcraft/survival use.

I have one Buck knife, a 630 Meritor, if I remember right, (same size as the 119) with hidden tang and a molded Krayton handle. The handle is loose after 15(?) ... 20(?) ... more(?) ... years of non-use sitting in a camper drawer. :(
Someday I might get around to sending it in for a new handle, and elimination of the factory provided chip in the blade edge.
I don't know ... The chip is at least 1/8 inch deep. I don't think it can be sharpened out. Maybe I should request a blade replacement along with a new handle?
 
greater said:
Those Japanese swords were/are fantastic and well made, outstanding, they took forever to make. I am sure they could cut people wearing armor all day.

The Japanese Samurai were a lot like modern soldiers in that they preferred to shoot their enemies. They were well trained in the use of the bow and arrow which was their primary weapon of choice in battle. I am sure the value of a good AR rifle would not have been overlooked by them. I also understand arrows do not pierce all armor. Hmmmm this is where I am lost maybe this is where the swords would come into play ?? The sword was a valued item I am sure and took a good amount of time and skill to make.

Did they use other weapons too ? Oh sorry I am off topic here.
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Yes...going pretty OT here...lol.
The Portuguese brought guns to Japan in 1543. They were matchlocks (arquebus). Domestic manufacture of guns started quickly, especially the City of Saki (in Osaka) where there was already a thriving sword/knife/metal working center. By 1556 there were over 300,000 guns in Japan.
The gunmakers of Sakai were sought after by warlords who now had "Teppo Tai" (Gun forces) to augment their armies using the traditional swords, spears and bows.
Oda Nobunaga, the most powerful warlord until his death, was known to have used Teppo Tai of 3000 men on the battle field.
Nobunaga himself was known to wear European Armor because the traditional Japanese armor could not protect against bullets.
These Teppo Tai were made up of Ashigaru (peasant soldiers) lead by Samurai officers trained in Ho-Jutsu (the art/technique of the gun).
After 1600 the Tokunaga Shogunate began and there were no more major wars until the 1800s, when the a civil war broke out between the clans who advocated
restoring the Emperor to power in order to consolidate the country, and the clans who supported continued rule by the Tokugawa Shogunate.
The Shogunate side used Minie riles with the vassal clans using mostly smoothbore Geweer guns. The Imperial soldiers were better equipped using mostly Minie rifles and some Spencers bought from the US. The global firearms market was in high supply of rifles as a result of the United States Civil War having ended. Even a few Gatling guns were used in this war.
The western media focuses on the Japanese sword, which on one hand is correct because between 1600 and 1800 Samurai continued to wear swords in an "armed society", and the sword played such a role in Japanese culture as it was always carried, as opposed to spears, bows and guns which were used only in battle.
But they ignore for the most part the enormous role guns had in Japan's pre-modern history.
 
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I think that it is all depend on what you intend to use the knives for like other people wrote.
Knife historically meant to cut and slice. If it is a dressing knife, for cutting softer materials (like fish and fleshes), thin logs, vegetation, hidden non pinned tang is fine. The resin are strong, they resist against shock very well and therefore quite tough. Their main concern is the degradation from the UV, but on hidden tang, unlike the full width exposed tang, the resin is not exposed to light, so shouldn't be a problem. They also seal out gaps, which is good to keep the water out, so there is honestly close to no reason to the need to remove the handle to clean. The resin will usually outlast the wood.

Hidden tang also have a broad spectrum, I take the tang vs material volume ratio for example.
High tang volume = thinner handle. Therefore weaker handle.
Low tang volume = thinner tang. Therefore weaker blade.
Big handle to support big tang = heavy and uncomfortable handling knife.

Then materials, weather, moisture, etc. get into play, that's for other time.

The marketing of the survival knife, one knife replacing most of the basic tools (therefore need a more beefy tang) is a great idea. Pinning the handle to the blade is cheaper than resin, since you don't need to wait for them to cure, saving time, saving money, yet extremely solid. I actually like this evolution, but it doesn't make the older designs and construction obsolete.

The back end nut thing in my personal opinion is a gimmick to say that the handle is as good as the pinned blade and they can use the "full (length) tang" marketing. For me, it is an extra gap for water and filth to stay in. Easy to maintain is a potential solution for that potential extra problem it gives. If you seal it with resin, then what's the point.
 
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