Do you start your handles before the blade is done with heat treat?

BRad704

Well-Known Member
I'm not talking about laying out materials, planning hole locations, or just thinking about what you are going to do.

I know I am bad about getting a blade profiled, maybe ground, and then getting started on the handle before heat treat. Whether it is drilling holes for pins, drilling the middle for a hidden tang, or actually fitting scales on a fixed blade... I think part of it is impatience, the other part is not seeing any harm in going with my productivity while I am in the mood...

Do you wait until your blades are done with heat treating, before you do anything to the handles?
 
Brad,

This is an ask 10 knifemakers get 10 different answers kinda question, LOL

Personally I finish the blade first. Then continue with guard/bolsters handle etc.

-Josh
 
No, it really never occurred to me. I always have enough projects going on at once that I don't run out of things to do, usually I run out of time and/or belts first. Many times I don't even have handle/bolster/guard material picked out before HT, just drill the tang for whatever kind of pins or bolts I plan to use. Since I use 3/16x1/4" corbies 99% of the time that's not a big deal.

It occurs to me that steel undergoes small (like decimals of a percent) dimensional changes during HT... in the sizes we work with that's probably not an issue. Heck, you tell me... have you noticed holes not quite lining up if you drill the handles before HT?
 
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With full tangs, its not much of a big deal. since only 1 axis would change by more sanding. (the blade thickness)

With hidden tangs, I have not really figured this process out yet... I still struggle with fit and alignment, and it is something I am determined to get right. But when I do the blade, I usually start the guard and handle, and end up sanding more and more after HT until the fit isn't perfect anymore... :(
 
I'm with Josh . Blade first , then handle . I sometimes change my mind about things when it comes to the handle , so I do it after .
 
Brad,

This is an ask 10 knifemakers get 10 different answers kinda question, LOL

Personally I finish the blade first. Then continue with guard/bolsters handle etc.

-Josh

I normally dont do the handles till after. BUT the exception to that is the occasional damascus guards.. I fit and shape to the knife B4 HT. I dont attach them till after HT.. But all the shaping and such is almost always done pre HT..

A little of subject here,
For me, choosing the handle materials sometimes can take more time then HT! Does anyone else have that problem? Or am I just SPECIAL!! :shortbus:
As of late, most of my work is Custom Orders. Picking the handle materials is done at the beginning of the process. and that makes things a bit easier.. Just grab it and go! :)
 
I'm not talking about laying out materials, planning hole locations, or just thinking about what you are going to do.

I know I am bad about getting a blade profiled, maybe ground, and then getting started on the handle before heat treat. Whether it is drilling holes for pins, drilling the middle for a hidden tang, or actually fitting scales on a fixed blade... I think part of it is impatience, the other part is not seeing any harm in going with my productivity while I am in the mood...

Do you wait until your blades are done with heat treating, before you do anything to the handles?

Brad,
Good question, the way I do mine is to get everything ready before HT, that way you won't have to wrestle with getting holes drilled, the one thing I'm trying to make sure of before HT is getting my finish flawless, because after HT it's almost impossible. So yeah, I do everything I can possibly do before HT, I do not start shaping the handles until they are on the blade tang and I ALWAYS leave about 1/4'' of handle material, maybe a little less to be ground off, I do shape them with the said 1/4 inch extra room. If I using slabs I make sure I mark them 'inside' or 'outside' on all sides, inside gets marked with a sharpie outside gets marked with a pencil.

I know a lot of guys here are saying to finish your blade to 220, which I'm assuming is an "At least" number, I generally take mine to 400, I've found the better the finish is, the easier it is to finish out once your done with HT, just my 2 cents, I immagine you'll get a lot of different opinions on this one, you'll figure out your way as you go. Rex
 
With full tangs, its not much of a big deal. since only 1 axis would change by more sanding. (the blade thickness)

With hidden tangs, I have not really figured this process out yet... I still struggle with fit and alignment, and it is something I am determined to get right. But when I do the blade, I usually start the guard and handle, and end up sanding more and more after HT until the fit isn't perfect anymore... :(

Brad, with stick tang blades, you do want to get your fit and finish as close to done before HT, alignment of the guard will come, the more you make the easier it will get, it takes time to master this stuff, and I think most guys kinda find a nitche` that their good at, be it guards, or whatever. That is usually because they work on making guards or whatever it may be, more than anything else, I was in the same place as you are last year with learning how to make a guard and all the little details you never though of until your ready to start cutting the steel thats already been soldered to your blade! That was a hairy moment there!Just keep working at it and looking up more references to learn different techniques, Rex
BTW, the reason it was already soldered to the tang is because I over heard some master smiths talking at BLADE last year, saying they put their guards on first, then shape them, I have to say it was a lot easier, and I quite wasting time shapping guards that never made it to the blade because I screwed up the guard slot! There are as many different ways to make knives are there are knives, finding your way to do it will be the best way for you to do it, my way may not be a good one for you, then again mine might be the best, we're dealing with opinion, everybody has them and they all.......are different.....
 
Occasionally I will have a plan that includes handle material but normally I make the blade and after heat treatment figure out what I will use for handle material, either full or hidden tang.
 
I plan the handle before HT and drill whatever holes are necessary in the tang, but rarely shape the scales before the blade is heat treated.
 
I normally dont do the handles till after. I've been known to mess up now and then and why waist a good handle on a bad blade thats what i was told when i first started ,didn't heed to and waisted some good handle stuff ,after loosing some good box elder,and elk a few times ,i now make it a rule, blade done then handle. just my two cents. but i'm a baby around here lots of growing time left. sometime it is good to do what the old people say..
 
Thanks for all the input guys...

The reason I posted this question is because I have 2 stick tang blades that I already drill handles for, and they were nice and tight, but now that they are HT'd and cleaned up, the fit is sloppy and I am unhappy. I'm starting to plan everything as far as holes and concept, but not start the handle at all until after HT is done.
 
On stick tangs the only part of the handle that I do, before HT, are the holes in the tang. If I make the guard before HT, it is loose after final sanding. I used to make a mock guard of the same thickness as the real thing, and drill my handle pin holes in the handle material, and tang. But I have started just drilling through the tang only before HT, then match them into the handle later. On full tangs, with bolsters, I do make the bolsters and drill all pin holes through the tang and bolster material, the only finish work is to the front edge. The reason I do my bolsters before HT, is I have had bolsters spin on the tang of a mirror finished blade while drilling, that makes a mess of a mirror finish, and causes great stress!
Dale
 
The blade is cut first,but sometimes the handle gets into my mind so I allready know what I want to do with the handle before I cut the blade.
However I usually will do it all before HT. I will have a knife 75% complete before the HT. I will have to do the final sanding and such but the holes are already drilled for handle pins as well as any holes for bolsters and pommels.
I always plan on how the finished piece will look in its total. Occassionally you may have to scrap the handle or use it for a new piece becuase the blade didn't work out. But one time with forgetting a hole and then punching holes in a HT piece makes it all worth it.
I look at it like this I have everything about the knife worked out this way. All I have left is a final sanding and polishing as well as putting a final edge to the particular knife.
 
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