Attaching Scales on a Tapered Tang

[Jim T]

This might be more a fit and finish issue, but I thought I'd put it in the Newbies section since that's what I am.

I finally worked up the nerve to try doing a tapered tang on one of my blades and, surprisingly, it turned out really well. However, I'm running into difficulty fitting the scales onto the tang. The holes I drill through the scales for pins (using the holes in the tang as a guide) aren't lining up. It's nearly impossible to get my quarter inch pins through both scales and the blade.

Also, I've ended up with a slight but annoyingly noticeable space where the scale butts up against the bolster. Both issues have to do with the angle on the tang after I tapered it.

I feel like I'm missing an obvious solution. Right now I'm getting ready to take the scales off and try again. I hate a sloppy looking fit. How do I fix this?

Jim

[Eli Jensen]

Are the bolsters on the tapered part of the tang?

I just finished up a tapered tang kit (I don't like kits, but thats what someone was paying for) where the holes for the bolster pins were on the flat and the rest was tapered. I'm really disappointed in whoever designed the blade, the tapered part of the tang wasn't even all the way flat. I did enough flat grinding I could have just made a blade.

Anyways what I did was put the bolster on the flat, then I tried to match the angle the end of my scale that met up with the bolster, sort of like a slight dovetail.

[Doug Lester]

You are going to have to fit the scales to the bolster by sanding a bevel to the end of the scale to match the angle of the bolster to the tang. Use a ridged, flat bar to back the sand paper with, work slowly and check often until you have a fit. If you have a sander with a tiltable table and a method of finding the angel that the bolster is to the tang and can transfer this angle to the sander's table, you could use a sander. I'm facing a similar problem here as soon as I get my next two knifes heat treated. The juntion of the integral bolsters and the tang is rounded. Sounds like fun.

When you are drilling the holes in a tapered tang, the midline of the tang, not the sides, must be at right angles to the drill bit when you drill the tang and the scales. If not then you will have to reproduce the angle through the tang and both scales. Another way around this is to glue the scales on the tang and then drill the pin holes from one side. It probably won't show if there is a slight angle through the handle but I'd still try to keep the midline of the tang at right angles to the drill bit.

To be able to drill the scales and tang together the tang will have to be soft so that something like a cobalt bit will drill through or you will have to start the hole in the "top" scale with a regular bit, switch to a carbide bit to drill the steel, and then finish the other scale by swithching back to the regular bit.

Doug

[argel55]

Most will drill the holes in the tang while it is still flat so they go straight through. After you taper it and want to attach scales then use the blade portion to make sure it is square to the drill press table and then glue your scales to one side. Drill through the holes which should come out square then glue the other side and drill through the holes that you made in the scales.
You can use a protractor to set your platten to match the scale to the back of the bolster if they are not on the same plain.

[Jim T]

Thanks guys. I find my challenge is getting the drilled holes lined up straight through both scales and tang so the pin slide in. I'll keep working at it because I really like the look of a tapered tang. Thanks for the advice!

Jim

[dbalfa]

I have used super glue to glue the scales on prior to HT and drill through the whole apparatus. Carefully pop the scales back off and HT. Not a problem with Micarta.....i would not do that with ivory.

[Rick McGee]

Found this tutorial, might be helpful

http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/sh...hp?tid/758277/

[Jim T]

Hey Rick. Really interesting tutorial! Haven't seen that one before. Thanks for posting it!

Jim