Hey,
So I'm experimenting with some either hidden pin or pinless construction ideas. I crafted this one by heavily pitting the tang and hoping the epoxy would hold true. And for an unabused knife, it was just fine.
Then I threw it against a tree a few times. It was a beautiful little everyday carry to beat up, but I wanted to see how it was holding up. Once it hit just right the scales popped right off.
Prototype #2, I drilled about 6 holes through the tang, and drilled about half way into the scales opposite the holes, then packed them with epoxy in the hopes it would form an epoxy pin. So far, it's holding up great. I'm going to have a bon fire and beat the snot out of it and see how it holds up. In my first test, none of the epoxy cracked, it just couldn't hold onto the blade after a certain amount of shock. With a full epoxy pin, I'm going to see if I can shock it enough to actually sheer the epoxy and pop the scales off.
Going pinless with brass is nice because you don't have to worry about the pins being a perfect match to the brass or worry about them showing up in the buffing process. However, because it's the first thing I put on the finished blade, the face of it is already 100%. So trying to clamp that into place without pins to guide it to perfect alignment is a nightmare. Looking back I should have used the bench vice as a guide, but live and learn.
Next time I'm going to use pins, but hide them under the brass so the assembly is easier. Will they hold the brass tight enough without peening them in? I'll find out <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />
Thanks
Here's a link to a bunch of drop testing.
https://www.facebook.com/crossfireforging/videos/467872966755113/
For the bolsters, why not try a very thin layer of solder?
Joshua States
www.dosgatosforge.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdJMFMqnbLYqv965xd64vYg
https://www.facebook.com/dos.gatos.71
Also on Instagram and Facebook as J.States Bladesmith
“So I'm lightin' out for the territory, ahead of the scared and the weak and the mean spirited, because Aunt Sally is fixin’ to adopt me and civilize me, and I can't stand it. I've been there before.â€
I agree with the solder idea. In Boyes's old book, he discussed brazing prior to careful heat treating. You would need pretty good temp control to pull that off, though.
I am glad to see the testing of the effect of blind holes filled with epoxy on the bond between tang and handle material. This reduction of shear failures is a good thing. I have used blind pins, with cuts in them so that JB weld or Acraglass could form a mechanical as well as chemical bond. It is harder to write about that to do. I have done this to help hold pommel caps on knives where the handle dropped a good distance away from the tang button, yet I needed a way to secure the bottom part of the pommel cap to the bird's head portion of the knife handle (I hope I am making sense).
Going "pinless" means putting ALL of your faith/trust in the adhesive you use. To that end you need to find the very best adhesive you can find, for your intended use(es). Personally, using anything short of AcraGlas or West System marine is taking a big chance, and even those two might not hold for a knife's lifetime without the aid of some type of mechanical attachment(s).
If this is something you intend to do for the long term, you have to consider how things will hold up years down the road..... establishing a good reputation, and maintaining it is key. I always tell folks that a good reputation is one of the hardest things to achieve in knifemaking....but it's also one of the easiest things to loose. Having a knife come apart years down the line, because you trusted the wrong adhesive, and didn't use more certain methods of construction isn't a risk I'd be willing to accept. Remember, bad news travels at the speed of sound, and people won't care if it's something you did early in your career.
Ed Caffrey, ABS MS
"The Montana Bladesmith"
www.CaffreyKnives.net
|quoted:
Going "pinless" means putting ALL of your faith/trust in the adhesive you use. To that end you need to find the very best adhesive you can find, for your intended use(es). Personally, using anything short of AcraGlas or West System marine is taking a big chance, and even those two might not hold for a knife's lifetime without the aid of some type of mechanical attachment(s).
If this is something you intend to do for the long term, you have to consider how things will hold up years down the road..... establishing a good reputation, and maintaining it is key. I always tell folks that a good reputation is one of the hardest things to achieve in knifemaking....but it's also one of the easiest things to loose. Having a knife come apart years down the line, because you trusted the wrong adhesive, and didn't use more certain methods of construction isn't a risk I'd be willing to accept. Remember, bad news travels at the speed of sound, and people won't care if it's something you did early in your career.
A better life through chemistry? I'm with Ed on this.
Mike Williams
Master Smith
I've done some testing with this concept. I had a friend leave one in the early snow of West Virginia. He left it there the whole winter 2014. When it was recovered a scale was missing. I used a commercial marine epoxy from a Florida manufacturer. Prior to the cold test I had abuse another knife testing it at my shop, and the Everglades. That one held up. I still have it, and every 8 months or so since the initial session abuse it a bit more.
I still do not make pinless knives. All my knives in addition to West Systems GFlex have mechanical attachment. Mainly Corby Bolts or 416 pins.
Better safe that sorry...
