welding tangs

G

golfer1

Joined
Nov 24, 2016
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Damascus is relatively expensive, especially the stainless, do any of you weld other metal tangs to the Damascus blades?
If so, could you share the methods you use?
Thanks much and best wishes.
 
I often braze a tang extension on to save metal or to make a threaded tang. I have never welded one on myself, brazing always seemed much more convenient for me.
 
Most folks do that. I use a MIG welder, some use TIG, and others use a stick. A few chaps silver braze the tang extension on after HT.
For strength, you want at least 1" of the blade material in the handle past the front of the scales.
 
I use a Mig to weld a tang on. I also make wedges on both pieces so when put together you have a straight tang. then usually drill holes in one piece and weld around the outsides and also in the holes.
 
Would like to try a TIG/MIG but have oxy/cetiline and map. The idea of silver braze sounds good for a try. Thanks so much for your help.
 
For stainless it's best to tig weld using 410 filler if doing a full tang. All narrow tang knives you can mig, tig or silver braze.

Hoss
 
Brazing/silver solder is good, as it avoids the excessive grain size that results from fusion welding. If I was going to weld a tang on, I'd do three normalize cycles afterwards for tang strength. Brazing does not normally much exceed the austenitization temperature level of blade steels, so as long as the braze job is not overheated, grain size should not be a factor. Air hardening could be possible after brazing though, so a sub-critical anneal of the tang or at least a temper up to blue is a good idea.

Wayne Goddard talked all about this in his books, he was a proponent of braze/silver solder rather than welding and for the most part, so am I. That's what I do to put a threaded tang extension on.
 
It's been a few years since I brazed bicycle frames, and I remember stainless requires either a silver braze, around 1000-1100f, or nickel silver, around 1800f. Silver solder is around 425f. Brass and bronze won't work with stainless, but on carbon steel the temp is 1700-1800f. My numbers might be out a bit, but they're in the ballpark range.
 
It's not a big deal but I would cover up the area around the weld just so you don't have to clean up any spatter. Anti spatter spray ( I heard cooking spray will also work for this but I haven't tried it) or just some thin sheet metal or something.

Not a big deal but one less thing to clean up.
 
DevinT; would you be kind enough to expand on why you recommend TIG on stainless vs silver braze?
Thanks much
 
Only for full tang knives. With a polished spine it is difficult to see the weld joint. I chamfer both pieces and do a 100% weld joint. Run multiple passes and post heat the weld joint to a very dull red a couple of times. I then do a sub critical anneal prior to making the knife.

Narrow tang won't be seen so method isn't important.

Hoss
 
Natlek said:
I do not understand , buyer pays steel not you ? In this topic you saying that the steel is the cheapest part of knifemaking ? Personally I would never buy welded knife .To make a threaded tang is ok , but whole tang ?

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1461503-Sourcing-a-large-quantity-of-ELMAX
Click to expand...


Regular steel is $1.00-3.00/inch. Damascus, is $20.00/inch and up, with stainless Damascus going for more. If done correctly, a welded tang should be no detriment to the knife,
 
Devin: thank you, so I assume you weld the edges also, is that correct? By the way, I love your steel.
 
Bevel both pieces, leave a small gap, full pen weld, stress relieve, sub critical anneal, profile blade, heat treat etc. with full penetration weld, no need to weld edges.

Hoss
 
I have silver braised stainless nuts to counter sunk 416 buttcaps like satin a Harvey Dean video.. I make a mess of it, but it works. The few times that I "welded" on a threaded tang extension in stead of just drawing out grinding and threading the tang, I either used a clevis pinned slotted piece of all thread or I did the "keyhole" method and silver braised over that.
 
^^^ I like the keyhole method too. Probably not needed, but it makes me feel better.
 
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