[Ed Tipton]

Doug....I make my guards from 1/8" steel, so it's pretty easy. I just use the face of the anvil until I have a good indentation on both sides, and then after re-heating i simply put it over the jaws of my vise,which I open just slightly wider than the slot, and knock out the center section. I do make my own punches (1/8, 3/16, and 1/4') for doing this, but they are really simple to make. I suppose you could make a pritchel block to do it with, but my technique works well for me. Of course there is some grinding and finish work to produce the finished guard, but very little filing, and the finished guard fits really well. I'm just wondering why I've never heard of anyone using this technique before? Sure beats a couple of hours of tedious filing. Also, I use a piece of flat steel that is long enough that I do not use tongs, and when the hole is punched, I simply cut off the end of the flat and start finishing the piece that is punched. I then put it over the tang and do the JB weld thing for good measure. Aside from punching the hole, I doubt my technique is much different from everybody elses.,,,there's pretty much just one way to put on a guard.