school me on how to make a pommel/ butt cap

[Kevster]

I have no problem coming up with a knife for the challenge, but I'm concerned about the end cap, for some reason I just can't figure out how to make it look good!

Can the gurus offer up some advice to a rookie at h##den tang knives?

[Ray Rogers]

Go look up some K-Bars, Randalls, and some Marbles stick tangs knives for examples. There are many ways to skin that cat. One of the popular ways is to simply screw on a big blob of metal for the butt cap, then shape the handle and the butt cap at the same time while pretending the butt cap is just part of the handle. Sometimes that means the butt cap just tapers away, sometimes it means the butt cap flares out exactly as it would if it were part of the wood or Micarta handle.

The exact shape may depend on the kind of knife you make. Hunting knives like Marbles tend to blend the butt cap as described above. Military knives are likely to shape the butt cap into something that can be used as a tool or a weapon.

You probably aren't going to be able to invent anything new in butt caps so look at a bunch of stick tang knives and pick something that matches your knife ...

[jmccustomknives]

I couldn't find a clear pic, but how I do it is by taking a simple threaded insert. These are the ones you can get at lows that have a shoulder with teeth the bite into wood and set flush. I silver braze it onto the pommel. This is the best pic of one I could find.

[Gary Mulkey]

It will help us a lot if you let us know what tools that you have available such as welders & torches. On a stick tang, I always attach the pommel or butt cap directly to the tang and the tools that you have available will determine how it can be done.

Gary

[Kevster]

Originally Posted by Gary Mulkey

It will help us a lot if you let us know what tools that you have available such as welders & torches. On a stick tang, I always attach the pommel or butt cap directly to the tang and the tools that you have available will determine how it can be done.

Gary

I don't have a torch, but i have a mig welder. I've tried welding a log nut like in the photo above but to me the but cap needs to be thicker.

[fuzzy]

Drill and tap a blind hole?
Thru hole and countersunk nut and plug hole?
Any other combination you can think up.

wayne

[Gary Mulkey]

Originally Posted by Kevster

I don't have a torch, but i have a mig welder. I've tried welding a log nut like in the photo above but to me the but cap needs to be thicker.

I will use varied thicknesses of butt caps depending on the handle material. With stag I will use a thinner one and file the profile to match the contours of the stag. With a wooden handle then I will use a thicker one. A lot of it is simply what feels right.

You can use a blind hole in a thicker cap or another option is an external decorative pommel nut.

Gary

[jmccustomknives]

I've used the mig welder for this. It does work, but keep it to using mild steel pommel caps. Tack the welds around, don't try to do a continuous weld.