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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  
Old 02-22-2013, 09:39 PM
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ricky_arthur ricky_arthur is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Utah
Posts: 524
Ok, how do I bend 1/4 inch brass for a guard?

was making a brass C guard for this KITH knife. Hit a Road Bump... Had the C guard all ready to shape it. Put it in a padded vice, tap, tap, tap with a hammer. Nothing. Bang, bang, bang...Nothing. BANG, BANG, BANG...Nothing except scratching the heck out of it. Ok, how about some heat? Put in in the forge, wait for it to get hot, put in vice, tap, tap/snap...



so now I either salvage this into a regular guard, or use some steel and restart from scratch. I don't have anymore 1/4 inch brass stock.

would heating it and quenching in water make it soft enough to bend? Like annealing reloading brass? Or how should I have done the bends in this guard?

Thanks
Ricky
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Old 02-22-2013, 10:26 PM
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cnccutter cnccutter is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Dorena, Oregon
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good looking start Ricky

two thinks come to mind,

fist is I would diffidently think a heat and quench would soften the guard enough to allow you to form it. my concern would be, will it be too soft afterwards and give you grief later not holding your shape?

second, have you considered not hammering it into shape but pressing it into shape? the press would give you a lot more force and not ding up the surface while keeping the spring in the guard.

Erik
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Old 02-23-2013, 07:16 AM
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Crex Crex is offline
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To anneal brass, heat to cherry red and quench in water. Should soften like butter and bend relatively easily. Use a wooden or rawhide mallet to shap - less marring and shape over a piece of pipe. Or..if you have a larger piece of pipe with the correct inside radius, cut it in half and form to the inside. Make sure things are secured well before you start or it'll make you nutso.
There is an issue with the amount of zinc in brass and some brass's will never get dead soft due to too much Z. Be aware that it might crack rather than break.
You can redo the annealing as often as needed to get the task done, more often the better. Brass work hardens.


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Old 02-23-2013, 08:52 AM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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The above mentioned methods are probably better but I have bent brass by tapping with a mallet while keeping the brass hot with a torch. Don't rush it ...


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