McClellan Made Blades
Well-Known Member
Hey Dogs!
I'm working on my first forged blade, I have fitted it with a very nice piece of Sambar Stag. It's a full tang blade with the handle sweeping back before the ricasso area to form a natural guard for the hand. It's quite large at 12 &1/4 inches. The stag slabs I cut are beautiful, the main problem I'm having is the handles don't want to fit flat to the tang. I've flat sanded the slabs, which they look flat and putting them together there is no light coming through. I flat ground the tang on my KMG, which is pretty close to being flat. Put together you can still see light through the gaps. I have "warmed" the up, although I have not boiled them yet. I was hoping I wouldn't have to boil them, kinda scared they might shrink, expand or deform some other way, as they are all but finished to size. The area that I' most concerned with is at the end of the tang, the slab is bent outward away from the tang, almost a 1/4 inch. Another problem in that area, is the slabs have a natural thickness there that is wider than the rest of the slab, if I was to put that in my vice it could really mess it up if it's warm. Is there away to manipulate the slab short of a full boil? Am I being too careful, worrying about the slabs deforming if I do boil them? I'll post a pics (if I can figure it out) after I get it right.
Thanks Dogs, Your the best mutts in the pound!Rex
I'm working on my first forged blade, I have fitted it with a very nice piece of Sambar Stag. It's a full tang blade with the handle sweeping back before the ricasso area to form a natural guard for the hand. It's quite large at 12 &1/4 inches. The stag slabs I cut are beautiful, the main problem I'm having is the handles don't want to fit flat to the tang. I've flat sanded the slabs, which they look flat and putting them together there is no light coming through. I flat ground the tang on my KMG, which is pretty close to being flat. Put together you can still see light through the gaps. I have "warmed" the up, although I have not boiled them yet. I was hoping I wouldn't have to boil them, kinda scared they might shrink, expand or deform some other way, as they are all but finished to size. The area that I' most concerned with is at the end of the tang, the slab is bent outward away from the tang, almost a 1/4 inch. Another problem in that area, is the slabs have a natural thickness there that is wider than the rest of the slab, if I was to put that in my vice it could really mess it up if it's warm. Is there away to manipulate the slab short of a full boil? Am I being too careful, worrying about the slabs deforming if I do boil them? I'll post a pics (if I can figure it out) after I get it right.
Thanks Dogs, Your the best mutts in the pound!Rex