Thinking about trying a hidden tang

Ernie Swanson

Ernie Swanson

SASSY PINK LUUNCHBOX KNIFE MAKER
I was thinking about trying a hidden tang,

Wondering what are some of the way to attach the....Butt?

I know about the guard and handle material but how do you keep it all on there?

Thanks for any help!!
 
EPOXY! LOL

But it is true Ernie. Hidden tang knives are more often than not epoxied on now a days. In the old days they were most often pinned on. Although there were some ingenious makers that had some other mechanical ways of attaching them.

As to butt caps, hilts, pommels or what ever it's called...technically those aren't used on true hidden tang knives. They are traditionally used on through tang knives. Sometimes called take down or knock down style. They are pinned, peened or more often than not threaded on for take down style knives. Usually a thread is welded onto the tang or the tang is threaded and then the pommel is threaded onto it.

Mike Carter just gave a really cool little tutorial on how he attaches them to full tang knives a week or so ago. But the same method can be applied to through tangs.

For a true hidden tang knife, the handle is a stand alone one piece that's drilled and the tang just slides a few inches into it. For that, epoxy is the most effective. It'll stay on forever and it never loosens like pinning will.

All you have to do is glue the stacked handle materials and then drill the handle for the tang.

Just be sure to rough up...I mean really rough up the tang to give the epoxy something to stick to.

Hope that gets ya started Ernie. It's my favorite style handle...period. I'd rather build and use them for pure dependability than any other style.
 
Like JD said, these are often done with a tang that extends all the way through the handle and is threaded on the end to accept the cap.

For a hidden tang that does not extend the length of the handle, you can attach a screw or a piece of threaded rod to the cap and just screw it into the handle (I normally use some expoxy too).

That is how I did these where the tang just extends a little beyond the pin:

EagleNessmuk2.jpg


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Beautiful knives Mike.

I did my first stick tang recently and I cussed it quite a bit cleaning out the hole for the tang. Bruce Bump also has a tutorial on making this style and he has made a tool for scraping out the handle material after drilling. A long drill bit comes in handy also. I just ordered a 6 inch long bit from tracy so as much as I dont like this style I will be giving it another chance.

I did use one pin thru the handle and accraglass to hold it on. Make sure you dont get the tang hard or its a pain to drill and creates major frustration.
 
I weld a bolt to the tang and then weld, solder, or machine(depending on the pommel) threads onto the pommel and fit everything up. Glue all the surfaces up and fill any voids in the handle with acra-glass and screw the pommel on the bolt. It will take some serious pounding or twisting to get it apart.

I just glued up three knives this weekend with different type methods. Wish I had taken pictures to show. I need to take more WIP pics but get busy and forget.
 
Another thing that you can do is to bring the end of the than through a hole drilled in the butt cap and pean the end over and grind flat. This looks best when the butt cap is made from steel. Another way is to drill a hole or slot in the butt cap just a little deeper than the end of the tang extending beyound the handle material and very slightly smaller than the tang. To fit the butt cap you heat it just enough to expand the metal and then you drive it onto the tang before it cools. When it cools the cap will shrink tightly onto the tang and hold in place. Some pommels are afixed to swords in this manner.

Doug Lester
 
If you are doing a partial tang (does not go all the way through to the back of the handle), then you can install a pin that goes through the handle and tang.

You can see the brass pin I installed in the antler crown on this knife:

DSCN0890.jpg
 
Thanks for all the info!!

I never realized there were so many different variations for hidden tangs!!

I am writing notes so i do not forget anything.

Thanks for the pics guys them are some nice looking knives2thumbs
 
There's combinations that haven't even been discussed.

Like the hidden tang with mortised handles. It's a hidden tang, but the handle is in 2 halves, like on a full tang knife. Each side is recessed (mortised) to fit the hidden tang. The 2 halves are epoxied with a pin going through the handle and tang.

Then there is the framed handle, sometimes called a "false full tang." Often used on bowies, the tang is essentially hidden, but is framed by another material--stainless, damascus, brass, etc. of the same thickness that is exposed on the handle. The handle slabs are then installed as if it were a full tang.
 
Then there are some hidden tangs that aren't really all that hidden:D In this case it is a through tang. The tang is threaded and a removable nut is holding the handle together. The handle uses internal pins to locate the handle, spacers, guard and but cap.

A simple hidden tang that does not go all the way through is probably the easiest one to start with. They are addictive and not as easy to do as it would first seem. This type of knife has a whole set of problems all its own. Good luck!


orig.jpg
 
Man Harry...you guys just keep getting better and better. That's killer.

I haven't been over on the other forum for quite a while. That blade carving stuff is a new trick for you guys. Wow!

I'm going to have to go over to your site and see what else you guys have been up to. ;~)
 
Thats more what I meant with my original post was the through tang, but now I got all kinds of ideas!!!

Thats one beautiful knife;)
 
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