pewter pour/ patchknife

[b bogart]

Alright you knifemakers, let me know if I'm going to screw up here. I want to pour pewter at the juction of the whitetail antler and the damascus patchknife blade I attempting to complete. Any worries about the heat (or anything else) screwing up the blade or the antler? I don't mind the antler so much, but I definitely do not wanna screw up the blade.
Appreciate any thoughts or input.
Bruce

[Chuck Burrows]

The amount of heat from a pewter pour should cause you no problems - I pour them all the time on knives.

this should help.........also pre-warming the blade helps the pewter flow around it better - use a heat gun on low of a low torch - doesn;'t take much...........

http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/tutorials/_pewter.html

[b bogart]

Thank you very much Chuck!
Bruce

[Ky-Flinter]

A follow up question to the knive makers....

I have a project very similar to Bruce's.  I have a blade with a spike tag and I was planning to epoxy it in an antler handle.  Will contact with the molten pewter affect the epoxy?

How do you handle this situation? (haha, no pun intended!)  Thanks,

-Ron

[Rolf]

Ron, most epoxys melt in range 80 to 100 celsius and catch fire pretty easy at higher temperatures. When I want to break up a metal to metal epoxy bond, I either boil the parts in water or set fire to the epoxy with a propan torch.

If the tang get hot enough , the epoxy will melt. When melted epoxys solidifies, it turns brittel.

Best regards
Rolfkt

[Tim Crosby]

A follow up question to the knive makers....

I have a project very similar to Bruce's.  I have a blade with a spike tag and I was planning to epoxy it in an antler handle.  Will contact with the molten pewter affect the epoxy?

How do you handle this situation? (haha, no pun intended!)  Thanks,

-Ron

Skip the epoxy, file some notches in the tang, make your dam or mold pour the pewter. The pewter will hold it in. Or if you are not comfortable with that you can drill the handle for a pin, skip the epoxy and pour the pewter. Here's a couple I did that way.

Tim C.

[T*O*F]

Where are you pouring the pewter.....front or rear?

At the rear, it shouldn't be a problem.
If it's at the front, I always drill a hole instead of driving the spike in.  Then cross-drill a couple of holes thru the antler and tang.  Then incorporate some type of design which extends past the holes on both sides.

When you do your pour, it fills up the main cavity, the cross holes, and whatever design panels you put on the sides.  The pewter acts as hidden rivets to hold the blade in.

[Tim Crosby]

Where are you pouring the pewter.....front or rear?

At the rear, it shouldn't be a problem.
If it's at the front, I always drill a hole instead of driving the spike in.  Then cross-drill a couple of holes thru the antler and tang.  Then incorporate some type of design which extends past the holes on both sides.

When you do your pour, it fills up the main cavity, the cross holes, and whatever design panels you put on the sides.  The pewter acts as hidden rivets to hold the blade in.

Well said.

Tim C.