Hidden tang..........handle making advice please

[Chui]

Are there any tutorials or good vids / youtube that anyone can recommend please?

The thought of trying to drill straight and "gotta be acc'rate, boy.....gotta be acc'rate" (as my old metalwork teacher used to say, donkeys years ago) into a £30 piece of des ir is a tad daunting...........

[SwissTony]

Sticky section of the tips n tricks section.
http://www.britishblades.com/forums/...28pic-heavy%29

[ngraudal]

Use a pillardrill, sharp drills and slow speed. I always try to get a tight fit, because it saves on the epoxy, but it isn't crucial that it has a hairline fit all the way, as long as you don't drill in a way that makes a drillhole appear when shaping the handle.

This is pretty much how I do it

http://www.britishblades.com/forums/...cture-heavy%29

[mikew]

This could be one of those really un helpfull suggestions but why not make the ironwood project number two? I have some nice elm burr that you can have a play with to get your eye in.

[Stew]

Ironwood needs sharp bits for drilling else it's prone to burning. Also there's a tendency for the bit to fill with the dust as a solid piece causing for friction so pecking is useful, in my experience. Do it in a few stages of needs be.

[Stew]

Also, consider a bolster so that the main hole is less critical.

[Chui]

Thanks fellas, lots to look at and take in.

Stew - yes, good points, many thanks. I've just bought a s/h pillar drill (Wolf 12-speed, not the best I know, but a start) and I guess I need to set it to a fairly low speed........? I'll buy some good quality drill bits from Farnell or similar. Just found a youtube tutorial and it comments on how accurate the bolster must fit the blade. Have bought a fair few blades, I guess Brisa may be good for ready-made to get me going.......?

Mikew - many thanks, very kind......I'd be happy to pay you some and the postage etc if you can spare the woodblock?

[parbajtor]

The bolster fit is the important thing and needs to be done right. Everything else (drilling wise) can be fairly slap dash. With the main block I tend to drill the 2 end holes of the rectangle with the drill bit matched to the tang thickness, and then drill the middle hole slightly oversized so it looks like the London Underground symbol. This allows the epoxy to run all the way down the tang and helps stop any entrapped air forcing the epoxy out of the slot (less messy, too). The 2 end holes being the same thickness as the tang stops the blade from rotating in the handle.
Did you mean ready made bolsters from Brisa to get you going? They do still need a fair bit of filing to get them to fit properly, although the slots are usually undersized so no worries about sloppy fit. I prefer the freedom that making the bolster yourself brings as you can decide the shape after you've got the bolster fitted to the blade.

[scandi nut]

burn it in
cheers

[Stew]

burn it in
cheers

Don't do this.

Really.

[ngraudal]

burn it in
cheers

Have you ever tried this yourself? I suggest you go buy your own piece of timber worth 30 quid and light it on fire in your own shed.....

[Chui]

burn it in
cheers

......ahem, I am a tad thick when it comes to knifemaking at the moment.

Please be good enough to explain 'burn it in'.

Many thanks.............

[Stew]

......ahem, I am a tad thick when it comes to knifemaking at the moment.

Please be good enough to explain 'burn it in'.

Many thanks.............

Get the end of the tang hot and shove it into the block. Repeat.

This is me doing it:



Note that is a cheap piece of wood - cut up hickory sledge hammer handle.

Also note the wisp of smoke about half way down the handle. That's where the tang is about to burn through the side of the handle.

[ngraudal]

......ahem, I am a tad thick when it comes to knifemaking at the moment.

Please be good enough to explain 'burn it in'.

Many thanks.............

The idea is that you make the hole so it almost fits and then heat the tang to red hot with a propane torch, then burn/force it the last way. Some people burn the hole all the way, so they claim.
The problem is that the burned or charred wood is weaker than the rest of the wood, you risk ruining the wood, especially with burly wood because of the tensions in the wood, you risk ruining the temper of the blade. I can't think of any "big names" using this method....

Get yourself a decent needlerasp or two. Buy some jigsawblades (fine or medium fine teeth for wood) and put a handle on one or two of them first, grind of the teeth closest to the handle, a "tool" like this is one of the best things to have when making sticktang knives

[Duncan_642]

Burning it in is probably not the best course of action! i wouldnt be to slap dash with any drilling as Exposing the hole when may be a risk as already said. you could step the width of drill bits if your doing a bolster to give a step up in size to match the taper of the tang