Fixing Guards, by Rob Brown

Image 1
Once the heat treatment of your knife is complete, your first step in finishing it should
be to sand the flats up to 1200 grit on your disc sander (at 1000 r.p.m. max) in
preparation for the final blade finish.

NOTE: The ricasso is now ready to make the guard. The tapered tang should be lightly
ground on a 50 grit disc to ensure it is warpage free and that the run-out is in line with
the back of the guard.
Image 2
On the rear side of the guard mark out the centre line and width and depth of the slot
to be machined. Bandsaw out the slot as shown, ensuring you remain within the
scribed lines.

Image 3
Set up the guard in your mill with the cutter centred on the scribed centre line, and the
table to stop at the end of the cut. Use an end mill ± 0.5mm smaller than the required
width, run at ±1800 r.p.m. and set to cut .75mm deep with each pass.
When complete, start from the top again and adjust to cut equal amounts from both
sides of the slot (for the required width) to fit the ricasso. Stop cutting the moment
your cutter reaches the bottom (i.e. the front face), as the cutter diameter wears at
the tip it actually aids in creating a tight fit on the front face, hence you work from the
rear.
Image 4
Clean up the front face on a 220 grit disc, fit and correctly position the guard for
drilling the rivet hole, obviously already drilled in the tang prior to hardening.
Image 5
If you don't have a mill don't despair - two 10mm square lathe cutting tools, a few
hand files and a tube of super glue can do an equally, if not better, job.

On your disc grinder, round one of the edges on each lathe tool to serve as the leading
edge of your file guide. Glue the first tool to the guard on the scribed line with the
leading edge facing you.
Image 6
Clamp the tool and guard in your vice and start filing the slot down to the level of the
lathe tool. It helps to have a few files with one side ground down to the required
thickness and kept for this task.

Finish off with a smooth file until it won't bite into the guard material. Try to keep your
filing level - but it poses no problem if the slot flares slightly towards the rear.

Image 7
Reposition the guard horizontally in your vice with the first lathe tool on top at the
rear, clean off any hardened glue and filings and using the ricasso of your knife as a
spacer glue the second lathe tool in place.
Image 8
Now clamp the second lathe tool and guard in your vice and tap off the first lathe tool.
File as before finishing off with a smooth file.
Image 9
Firmly clamp the knife in a set of parallels on the ricasso and against the front face of
the guard as shown.
Image 10
Transfer to your drill press or drill mill and slide the guard back to expose the rivet hole
in the tang. Line up the drill to pass freely through this hole (preferably run the drill
while doing this), lock up the slides.

Image 11
Push the guard back into position and change your drill for a lathe centering bit and
drill a small indent.
Image 12
Replace your drill bit and drill your rivet hole right through the guard. Make sure your
drill is sharp, run at the correct speed and well lubricated.

Image 13
Mark out the tang position for the finger notch on the guard before removing it from
the knife, and scribe this line across the back of the guard. Mill the finger notch just
short of the scribed line) a 10 mm wide guard - use a 18mm diameter cutter.
Image 14
Shape the guard to the required shape against the platen or disc with the rest set to
the desired angle. You may now completely finish the blade and tape it up to prevent
scratches.

Image 15
If you intend polishing the guard, plug the slot with a piece of Perspex ground at a
slight taper and wedged in position. This will prevent rounding the guard slot edges
while buffing. Sand the face of the guard up to 1200 grit and buff lightly, remove the
Perspex filler. Degrease the blade, the inside of the guard slot and rivet, and apply
"Pratleys Steel" to both blade and guard (to prevent moisture penetration) and rivet in
place. Wipe off all excess "Pratleys".
Image 16
Using a small pin punch peen along the top edges of the guard as shown to ensure a
good fit to the tang, being careful not to peen too close to the front face of the guard.

Image 17
Peen quite heavily on the underside of the guard finger notch so that the metal
expands in the blade notch forcing the guard forward and completely filling the notch.
Image 18
Use a parallel square file with the underside in contact with the tang ground off
smooth - carefully file the back of the guard flat after peening in place is complete.
Image 19
File away excess metal down to the level of the tang and clean up the finger notch
with your "Dremel" tool.
Image 20
In preparation for the handle material, in this case jigged bone, which will be finished
slightly higher than the surface of the guard it is wise to sand the guard up to 1200
grit, ready for buffing once the handle is fitted. Two pieces of soft wood are stuck to
the tang with double sided tape and very gently ground into the shape against the
platen, with this in position it stabilizes the knife when sanding a narrow guard held
against the disc sander.

Image 21
Once sufficiently shaped, sand against the disc sander, using 220, 400, 800 and 1200
grit flatting paper - max. 1000 r.p.m. Always work across the top of the disc as shown,
with the blade held in the right and then the left hand. Your free hand to support and
apply pressure to the knife closer to the guard than shown, so that your temporary soft
wood pommel lightly trails on the disc just to steady the knife and does not sand away.
Be careful not to let the blade touch the edges of the disc.
Image 22
Your guard now complete you can start preparing your handle material.