You may be able to just give it a good whack, otherwise it shouldn't be to hard to re-melt it. Just go from the tang side and watch the blade temperatures.

I have never soldered a guard and find that a good epoxy works very well. You should read Lin Rhea's tutorial on mortised handles and guards, it's posted on the main ABS webpage. It is a great way to do handles and guards, very simple, strong, and if done properly results in a very clean finish.

Thanks Mr. Carnecchia, I'll defiantly check out Lin's tutorial.

I used SS for the guard but I think I'll use nickel silver next time ant try to get a nice press fit and some epoxy.

Wesley

Hi,

I have always solder guards and bolsters on the knives.

To guard against what happen just build a simple jig to hold the guard in place while you silver solder it.

Removing your guard will not be a problem with heat.

Take it off...clean it up and re-solder.

Ernie

Wesley

Where in IL are you located. I would suggest that you continue to use SS. 416 is a good choice and anneal it. You can get a press fit with this just as well as NS and SS is typically a prefered material of knife buyers.

Brian

Mr. Thie, I live about 30 Miles from Peoria, IL. I didn't realize that SS was preferred over NS so I'll keep using it. I used annealed 416 SS and accidentally got the slot too wide so I lightly peened the edged of the slot and that helped. I would like to know some other tips for getting a good press fit with SS.

Thanks,

Wesley

Wesley, I will echo Brian's comments about nickel silver, as it tends to tarnish over time and doesn't maintain the clean, bright look of stainless steel. Ernie also makes a great point about using a soldering jig to hold the guard in place. You can buy these from Uncle Al at Riverside Machine if you don't feel like making your own.

Thanks guys. Mr. Grospitch, I actually filed the shoulders incorrectly. The guard didn't move while I soldered it.

Mr. Wolf, I didn't know that NS tarnished over time, just another reason to use SS.

Wesley

I live about an hour and a half West of Peoria.

If you taper your tangs and taper you slot slightly and anneal your 416 stainless, it makes it easer to get a tight fit on your guards. I drive mine on and typically start around .010 undersize. I only file steps for the shoulders and not the sides of the tang. The SS will form fit to the sides of your tang for a perfect and very tight fit. Once you drive it on, you will have to knock it back off and clean up the face again as the SS has to expand as you drive it on.

Because you start out undersize, the fit is as tight as it can be and you do not have to worry about gaps on the sides or filing steps on the sides.

The key here is to anneal the 416 SS. The annealing allows it to be soft enough to easily form when you drive it on. Also,you need to drive it on with a hammer--this fit is much too tight for one of those guard presses that clamp on to the tang.

I hope you find this helpful.

Brian

Thanks Mr. Thie, you have been very helpful. I didn't know any journeyman smiths lived that close to me. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//blink.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':blink:' />

I didn't think to anneal the SS before making the guard. I assumed that it was already annealed! I'm glad you mentioned that.

It did seem like it took a long time to file the slot since I don't have a milling machine. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//rolleyes.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':rolleyes:' />

Wesley

|quoted:

Wesley

I live about an hour and a half West of Peoria.

If you taper your tangs and taper you slot slightly and anneal your 416 stainless, it makes it easer to get a tight fit on your guards. I drive mine on and typically start around .010 undersize. I only file steps for the shoulders and not the sides of the tang. The SS will form fit to the sides of your tang for a perfect and very tight fit. Once you drive it on, you will have to knock it back off and clean up the face again as the SS has to expand as you drive it on.

Because you start out undersize, the fit is as tight as it can be and you do not have to worry about gaps on the sides or filing steps on the sides.

The key here is to anneal the 416 SS. The annealing allows it to be soft enough to easily form when you drive it on. Also,you need to drive it on with a hammer--this fit is much too tight for one of those guard presses that clamp on to the tang.

I hope you find this helpful.

Brian

Brian,

Is there a trick to tapering the tang evenly.

Thanks,

Joey Waters

|quoted:

Wesley

I live about an hour and a half West of Peoria.

If you taper your tangs and taper you slot slightly and anneal your 416 stainless, it makes it easer to get a tight fit on your guards. I drive mine on and typically start around .010 undersize. I only file steps for the shoulders and not the sides of the tang. The SS will form fit to the sides of your tang for a perfect and very tight fit. Once you drive it on, you will have to knock it back off and clean up the face again as the SS has to expand as you drive it on.

Because you start out undersize, the fit is as tight as it can be and you do not have to worry about gaps on the sides or filing steps on the sides.

The key here is to anneal the 416 SS. The annealing allows it to be soft enough to easily form when you drive it on. Also,you need to drive it on with a hammer--this fit is much too tight for one of those guard presses that clamp on to the tang.

I hope you find this helpful.

Brian

Brian,

Is there a trick to tapering the tang evenly.

Thanks,

Joey Waters