Working with stag

P

PlaceKnives

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Apr 7, 2003
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Hi everyone,
I have a nice stag crown about 6" long and would like some opinions on how I should use it as a knife handle. I want to know what the best options are for fitting a tang into it. I want to make a real working knife so it has to be a strong setup. I think a file tang with a nut at the end is out of the question because this piece is very curved. What would you think of fixing a half tang into it like a steak knife and then bolting through it?

What have y'all done in the past? Your help as always is much appreciated.

-Jared

P.S. Is Potassium Permangenate the best thing to stain stag and bone?

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I usually silver braise a 1/4 20 piece of all thread onto a stub tang then put a curve in the all thread to match the curve of the horn.
Epoxy the stag that goes against the guard first,making sure everything is lined up.After that sets epoxy the threaded butt-cap on.
Take care
TJ
 
P.S. Is Potassium Permangenate the best thing to stain stag and bone?
Click to expand...

It's good but not necessarily the best. I have found leather dye in various mixtures to give a better finish and it doesn't get ratty like PP does after it gets worn. Seams to seal as well as color.
 
If you make a stub tang and the hole in the stag fits tightly, you can pin through the stag and tang when you clamp it up and will have a strong joint that should not fail under any use you'd put a knife to. May not work forever as a jack handle however... :D

Dave

Edited to add PS - Acraglass from Brownell's is always recommended for such uses; so far I've only used slow set epoxy which also seems to work. But I'd bet on the Acraglass any day.

DL
 
...or BS, as you'd have it... ;)

I've never tried a half tang, mostly because I'm not confident enough of getting a good clean fit of the tang and slot. But if you think you can pull that off surely it'd be stronger than the stub tang.

Dave
 
As to the strength of a stub tang remeber that traditional Samurai swords use a tang only about 3" long and the grip is held on by a wooden pin.
 
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