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The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need. |
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#1
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Assembly question!?!?!?!
Well, the blade is finished, normalized three times, heat treated with canola oil quench, and tempered twice per instructions from another post. Now it's time to attach the guard before attaching the handle scales. Per the customer's request, I made a guard from nickel-silver bar stock. Since this is a full tang blade I made an elongated U shaped piece that slides snugly onto the blade that has a notch cut for it. Here is photos to illustrate:
Attachment 15908 Attachment 15907 My question is, since silver solder won't stick to W2 steel, should I just use the industrial 2-part epoxy I have as well as the two silver pins through the side to attach it? Will this be strong enough? I will likely have to use the same method to attach the pommel. AL C Last edited by Grayshadow95; 12-02-2017 at 11:12 AM. |
#2
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More power to you if you can successfully solder any guard on any knife. That's more than I could do and, in fact, only a relatively small number of knife makers solder their guards.
Most of us use JB Weld. Done well it won't show and, if it does, the color is closer to the color of your steel than most other epoxy and it is more than strong enough. Like most things, there is a way that works really well and a lot of ways that can be used but the results can vary. This is the best way that I know of to use JB Weld on your guard: First, look at the clock. I'm not kidding, a half minute off can start messing with your results so know exactly what time it is (or set a stop watch). You need to know when 10 minutes have elapsed after you start mixing. Mix the JB thoroughly. Paste the JB liberally on the tang where the guard will sit. Put in your pins and peen them if you plan to. Do NOT wipe off the excess glue but make sure it is squeezed out in front of the guard evenly all the way around - no dry spots. Get a couple of paper towels, fold them to a convenient size, and get them damp. Not wet enough to squeeze water out, just damp. When the 10 minutes are up use the damp towels to wipe off the excess glue. If you clean too soon the glue will get pulled out of any joints where it is accessible. The same will happen if you wait too long or the glue won't soften in the damp towel if you really wait too long. If you do it right, you can have a nice, even, gray bead that resembles what you see on a soldered guard. The best part is, JB doesn't care what type of steel you use and its much easier to clean up than soldering flux... Last edited by Ray Rogers; 05-24-2016 at 03:14 PM. |
#3
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Thanks Ray!
It helps to know I'm not the only one that can't get silver solder to stick to my blades! And you're right about clean-up of the flux . . . . . I have some JB Weld, and have used it several times, but lately I've been using a product called T88 from a company called Systemthree. It is an industrial two part epoxy that dries clear and hard as a rock over night, it cleans up with lacquer thinner. I like the longer set time. I got it from either Jantz or K&G, not sure which. It isn't cheap, but goes a long way, and sticks to everything. I've used it to glue blackwood, deer antler, stabilized wood, brass, sterling silver, plastic and a few other materials to knife blades. What I don't know is how well either product holds up to rough use, which is what I expect this customer will do. |
#4
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not all solders are created equal..... that and the flux used also can meant the difference between a clean seam, or just a hot clumpy mess.
ive had no issues with most of the carbon steels, but I was suggested to try this stuff, and it works great on Damascus, 1084, W2, O1, brass, nickel, 416 stainless, and have seen it used on the stainless blade steels as well. (will be trying it out with some S30V blades myself later this year) I still use a MAPP gas torch, but hot air guns will get the job done a bit cleaner, and with less risk of messing up your blade temper. it also takes a bit longer than using a torch. I have a torch and not a hot air gun, so I still use that. just need pay attention where you put the heat, and not try to heat too much too fast. http://www.knifemaking.com/product-p/jhsb.htm hope this helps Last edited by damon; 05-24-2016 at 04:20 PM. |
#5
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All I can tell you about durability is that I used JB on every knife I made with a guard for 20 years and never had a failure that anyone told me about (and I still hear from some of my customers so I'm pretty sure they would have mentioned it)....
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#6
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If you want to remove excess JB Weld spray a little WD40 on your cloth and it will wipe right off.
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#7
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If you do end up with a bit of stray JB Weld, or other epoxy for that matter, in a spot that you don't want it get a small brass rod, maybe 1/4", and pound one end into a chisel shape. That should scrape it off without marring the finish is the steel.
Doug __________________ If you're not making mistakes then you're not trying hard enough |
#8
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What Damon said. Who said solder won't stick to W-1? With the right heat, and the right flux, you can solder just about any metal except aluminum, and there used to be a special type for it. I don't like to solder guards. I don't like the clean up, so now I fit them close enough to not need solder, nor visible glue. 98% of knives I make now are period pieces which have no guards, and for those that do, solder was not used until the 20th c. At least not by any early makers I know of. During the 80's I soldered NS and brass guards on most I made, and used ATS-34, and 440-C for my blades.
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Tags |
antler, art, blade, brass, epoxy, full tang, guard, guards, handle, handle scales, heat, knife, made, notch, pins, plastic, pommel, post, scales, silver, solder, spray, steel, tang, weld |
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