[TheForge] More on knife gluing

[Steve Bloom]

At 01:27 PM 8/25/2010, Andy Gladish wrote:
>  [snip]..I do love the look of a rivetless scale handle, but until I
>figure out a way to make a physical attachment it doesn't seem practical.

That is one of the reasons why I use a bolster and pommel plate combo 
set at a slight angle to one another. To knock a scale free, the user 
has to either shear the internal pins while driving the scale in the 
right direction or somehow break an epoxy bond on three sides that is 
also a friction fit. I think any of that would qualify as abuse. On 
large blades that might be hammered or used as axes, a mechanical 
fastener (=rivet) is a good idea but for small blades??

And to echo another comment, I've had only one blade (a gift to a 
friend) returned for repairs because of a handle failure -- 
unstabilized (my bad, I don't do that anymore) osage orange with a 
cross-section in plane with the tang (why? - because thise rings just 
looked so good - live and learn). The user's house guest tossed the 
Damascus blade into a dishwasher and left it there for several cycles 
- soaking the whole time. When the knife got back to me, most of the 
handle was still attached by the epoxy but the growth rings had 
split.  Epoxy is good stuff with regard to lifting off the surface. 
It does far less well in shear, hence the need for pins.

>If you could get the end user to keep the knife oiled and never soak it in
>water, what a world that would be.

If they can't take care of it, it's not your problem. A maker can't 
guarantee an item against any and all forms of abuse. While you can 
drop my blades point first into a concrete floor without damage, I 
don't suggest that they can double as a paint can opener or a 
crowbar.  If your product shrugs off normal use, then you've done your job.

Steve Bloom