another newbie leaf spring knife question

[panzertank27]

so i got my knife almost all rough cut, it started out wanting ti be a bowie but ended up not so much like a bowie but i still think its cool. i wnted it know if i can silver solder some of the spring steel onto the knife for a hilt or would i wreck the temper and harden(when i do it) to solder a thick piece on for a hilt and gaurd as the tang is about 3/8 inch thick and ill want about a quarter inch thick piece on both sides ?? also the silver solder i bought says it doesnt need flux as it has a 'flux core ' but i cant help but think ill need some flux like when i do copper pipes for plumbing, can i use the same solder for plumbing if i need it??? thanks .

[panzertank27]

ok so i meant the same flux as plumbing flux not plumbing solder.

[John Martin]

I don't know about the soldering, but you could weld or solder the guard on before HT, but why not make it fit down the tang, like normal hidden tang construction?? And then when you HT, just dunk up to the bottom of the guard.

[Steve Sells]

Low temp plumbing solder, melts around 400F, not very strong.
The high temp silver solder sticks melt at closer to 800f, much better choice for securing a guard.
But with a hardening temp for many steels being around 1500F, I would advise waiting until after the heat treat to attach it, or the guard will fall off during H/T.

Edited March 9, 2009 by steve sells
typo as usual

[dablacksmith]

ok if i understand what you want to do is add something for a guard and hilt by sodering?ive done this after heat treating by useing a low temp silver soder..(staybrite is one brand) it still takes a bit of heat and might temper the area a bit but not to bad .. another method of attachment is to drill and pin .. that can be quite strong or you can combine methods ... or even glue (long cure epoxy or jb weld)can work depends on mechanical fit and how tough you need it to be..good luck

[NuViking]

If you still want to solder the bolster onto a HT blade,,I have been told that vise grips make a great heat sink. I had once soldered a brass bolster onto a smaller kife and was concerned about loosein the HT,,so I sunk the blade ino a plastic pop bottle filled it with water to 3/4 of an inch where I wanted to solder then tossed it in the deep freezer. Now this froozen block of ice with teh tang sticking out was easy to handle and after soldering it I just let it thw. The knife still seemed hard when it was all done.
Hope this helps.

[Charl. Crossforge]

I agree with NuViking. I have even welded and brased stuff onto the tang after heat treatment with no ill effect. I simply submerge the whole blade into a tin of water leaving about 15mm exposed from the point of welding. NuViking's idea of freezing the water will aid ease of handling but just plain water is good enough for cooling. Water in liquid form will not exceed 100 degrees celcius unless it is under presure so hardening will not be affected.

[steve shiffer]

You can also take 2 pieces of brass or copper place them on the blade end forward of the guard hold them in place with vice grips or a C clamp and they work well as a heat sink. Then you can solder or braise away. placing the blade in water after that will give you extra protection.

[Leland]

Great tips, guys -- I've wondered about that myself. Thanks for the info!

[monkeyboy]

heck i always use epoxy. Bark river uses JB weld.
seems to work O.K.
buzz
my pc was jammed for about three months till i could afford to have it repaired.
all good

[Sidney]

If you do use silver solder watch out for the cadmium. Its a killer.