Putting Handle on Damascus Knife

[Jeff Sorensen]

When any of you guys make a full tang damascus knife, is the steel underneath the handle material also damascus, or have you welded on another piece of steel? That seems like a lot of expensive steel to cover up. Any response would be appreciated.

Thanks

Jeff

[Ray Rogers]

As you know, the tang is exposed on a full tang knife. To weld on a non-damascus piece would make a very odd looking knife. I have never seen a knife done this way and would not want to do it myself. If this situation is a big problem for you (or for your pocket book) consider a hidden tang knife. It is common to weld a plain steel tang onto a damascus blade for hidden tang knives........

[chrisinbeav]

Or, another suggestion. Using a full tang damascus blade, under cut the outer edges of the scales by about 3-4 millimeters, or 1/8th of an inch, so there is an edge of damascus in relief from the handle. I think that would look very sharp! (Actually I've been wanting to do that myself. I just haven't got to it yet)

Chris Nilluka

P.S.: Here's a real rudementary image of what I mean...

[Don Cowles]

Jeff, this was a big concern of mine when I started using damascus. I had four Devin Thomas raindrop stainless damascus billets welded to four pieces of ATS34, for the material that would be under the scales.

Three of those knives are out there somewhere, and are just fine. The fourth one I still have. It has the rarest and most beautiful walrus ivory sacales I have ever seen- and I can't sell it. Magnaflux revealed a serious crack in the weld.

I occasionally bring this knife to a show and put it on the table with a "sold" sign- it is there for an object lesson for those who ask why I spend the money to put damascus that won't even show under the bolsters and scales.

Pay the juice, bite the bullet, and so on. The integrity of the finished knife is infinitely more important than whatever you might save in material cost, and your customers are usually willing to pay for that.

[Coutel]

I know some weld stick tangs to damascus to extend the tang and save on material....If it works for them, then thats fine.

my concerns about (stick) welding an extension on would be that I may overheat the steel and weaken it (brittle)...as there will be a heat affected zone radiating both sides of the weld...though I s'pose this could be thermo cycled to relieve it.

Rather than weld an extension on, I would prefer to thread it and use a coupling nut to extend, and use that as part of a screw down pommel.

I forge my own damascus..and its suprising how much I can forge and stretch a small stubb tang out to make a full length stick tang

[Jeff Sorensen]

Thank you for all of the replies. I will just bite the bullet and cover the damascus material, and probably under cut the edges of the scales so there is an edge of damascus in relief from the handle.

Jeff