Antler handle question

[razorback]

I have a short blade 2 1/4" with a file tang for the handle. I am planning on either a necker or an arm guard knife. I want to use an antler tine as the handle. Question is how doe you attach these to a tapered file tang.

I was thinking of cutting it short, filing to a somewhat consistent dia, drilling a hole and epoxying it in place.

Please help.  

[Steve Nuckels]

Tony, with my limited experience, you could just epoxy it as you planed, and file groves and or drill small holes in the tang and clamp for a firm fit.  Or drill and pin the tang with epoxy.  I would use a long setting/curing epoxy.

I'm going to epoxy and clamp, see the post frontier knife WIP.

Hope that helps!

Steve
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Potomac Forge

[chris amos]

You can do it anyway you like, thats the beauty of doing it yourself! But if it was me I would drill a pilot hole in the antler and file the hole out to match the taper of the file tang, this will make for the strongest tang. Rough it up a bit with another file or hacksaw to get a good surface for your epoxy to stick to and glue it in. I don't clamp my handles when I glue them, if they are glued under pressure its just one more chance for somthing to "let go" at the worst possible moment. Just my two cents.