Attaching a Bolster?

I'm making my first hidden tang knife and will be using a blank with a loose guard. This will be going into an antler handle. What's the best way to attach the guard? I don't weld, so that's not really an option. Was thinking about just using epoxy to attach the guard to the blade, and then again when I attach it all into the antler. However, I wanted to see if there are better ways or recommendations? Thanks everyone!

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I assume you are talking about a "guard"...... a chunk of material with a hole in it that fits over the knife tang? When finished the material completly surrounds the tang?

If it's loose, you can certainly use epoxy, but the front side is going to be really ugly when its done. Personally, I would hammer/press on the egdes of the guard, to close up the hole slightly, then file, fit, file, fit....... it out to the point where I'd have to "press fit" it on.

Here's a link to a series of videos I did on press fitting guards:
PART 1:
https://youtu.be/n6RZHnBhYhQ

PART 2:
https://youtu.be/g_jGSix-s4U

PART 3:
https://youtu.be/5dVVaHffTPY

Ed, thanks so much! That's exactly what I was looking for. After press fitting it, do you recommend gluing the guard to the blade and then attaching the handle, or do you do it all in one step? Really appreciate the advice and love this forum. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!


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Once the guard is press fit to its final position, I remove the guard, completly finish the front, and then put it back in place. If everything is nice and snug in the fit, the pressure of the fit will hold the guard in place.

Just prior to gluing on the handle, I coat the entire front of the guard with vaseline. If you fill up the hole in the handle material 2/3-3/4 with glue, when you insert the tang, hydraulic action will force glue into any tiny spaces between the guard and tang. IF any glue seeps through the guard/tang fit, because the vaseline is there, it has nothing to "grip" onto. Once cured, you can use a sharpened brass rod to just "pop" any glue off.

I usual encouarge people NOT to use "clamps" when it comes to a hidden tang, because more often then not, the clamping pressure isn't even, and once the glue cures, you will often times find gaps or odd fits due to the clamping pressure. The best method I've found is to ensure that the angle between the back of the guard, and the front of the handle material is as close to perfect as you can make it.......then, when you insert/glue the tang into the handle material set it with the handle material end on the bench, and let the weight of the blade & guard do the work. The most I will ever to for a "clamp" is to sometimes use two rubber bands......from the top and bottom of the guard, and over the end of the handle material.

I now know why my guards were over cut and look sloppy. Held file flat instead of at an angle. A 16h of an inch looks small on a tape but is huge where a guard and blade fit. Thanks to you both.

It helps to taper the tang slightly to within 1/32" to 1/16" of the shoulders, depending on the thickness of the guard. Then you have less to have to be precise with in the guard slot. When the fit is about .010 to it's final seat, you can usually drive it on down with a hammer, using a drilled wood block over the tang.