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Peter Headings
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 Posted: Fri 25 May, 2007 6:18 pm Post subject: what is the best handle material for a sword? |
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hey,i have this sword that i made and all the glue i use to put the handle slabs on doesn't hold up under the strain of normal use what would you guys advise?? ~peter~
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Adam Simmonds
Location: Henley On Thames Joined: 10 Jun 2006
Posts: 169
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| Posted: Fri 25 May, 2007 6:29 pm Post subject: |
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hi there mate,
i have personally found that a strong twine wound firmly around the tang, or, if you want it quicker, even thin lengths of cloth bound tightly round the tang makes a solid handle.
cheers, adam s
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Peter Headings
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| Posted: Fri 25 May, 2007 6:34 pm Post subject: |
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Well, how about makin the handle totally out of JB weld?? ~peter~
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J. Pav
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| Posted: Fri 25 May, 2007 7:15 pm Post subject: |
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First off, what sword is it?
How is the tang set-up?
Could you give us a picture of what you're talking about?
Generally, handles are made of wood either attached by rivets as slabs(sword tangs will sometimes flex too much to only use a adhesive substance to keep the handle on), or slide onto the tang and pinned or peened.
We'll need more information before you can get a seriously helpful response.
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Adam Simmonds
Location: Henley On Thames Joined: 10 Jun 2006
Posts: 169
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| Posted: Fri 25 May, 2007 8:41 pm Post subject: |
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| J. Pav wrote: |
We'll need more information before you can get a seriously helpful response. |
are you then saying that my suggestion of tightly wrapped cord is not a "seriously helpful response" ? 
seriously though, as simplistic and home made as it sounds, a good cord wrap straight over the bare tang can give a perfectly solid and hard working handle which may last for years.
Particularly good is if you also cover the cord wrap with a shark skin or leather overcoat. This not only looks good but also gives a nice smooth and protective surface to the finished grip.
cheer, adam s
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Russ Ellis
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Fri 25 May, 2007 9:20 pm Post subject: |
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What sort of glue are you using? Better wood glues like titebond when cured should be stronger than most woods that you would use for a handle. I'm wondering if the problem is the wood you are using rather than the glue. 
TRITONWORKS Custom Scabbards
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Peter Headings
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| Posted: Fri 25 May, 2007 9:32 pm Post subject: |
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well, the types of wood and glue i tried are the following: maple burl,brazilian ironwood ,epoxy, liquid nails ....i had better success with the maple burl and liquid nails...but remember this is gluing wood slabs onto metal with no pins....the strain on the wood is tremendous! ~peter~
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Peter Headings
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| Posted: Fri 25 May, 2007 9:45 pm Post subject: i |
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By the way,this is a short two edged sword i made out of a chainsaw bar..here are the dimensions..blade length 20in, handle length7.5 inch...i cut out the shape of the handle and glued on the slabs..then i glued on the pommel .the sword rattled and buzzed so i new something was wrong.Then the handle slabs came off! i replaced the pommel with JB weld and glued some more slabs on..over the next few weeks i prob glued on new handle slabs 5 times but they still came off ..so now i am building a handle out of JB weld .. so far its working pretty well the handle is extremely tough and will stand up to the rigors of serious brush and small tree removal .. .....so my question is ...IS A HANDEL OUT OF JB WELD gonna HOLD UP IN THE LONG RUN?? ~peter~
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Adam Simmonds
Location: Henley On Thames Joined: 10 Jun 2006
Posts: 169
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| Posted: Fri 25 May, 2007 10:13 pm Post subject: Re: i |
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| Peter Headings wrote: |
so my question is ...IS A HANDEL OUT OF JB WELD gonna HOLD UP IN THE LONG RUN?? ~peter~ |
i quess one way of finding out would be to wait and see, right?
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Peter Headings
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| Posted: Fri 25 May, 2007 10:37 pm Post subject: |
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you no...that is great advice!!!!
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Russ Ellis
Industry Professional
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| Posted: Fri 25 May, 2007 10:42 pm Post subject: Re: i |
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| Peter Headings wrote: | | By the way,this is a short two edged sword i made out of a chainsaw bar..here are the dimensions..blade length 20in, handle length7.5 inch...i cut out the shape of the handle and glued on the slabs..then i glued on the pommel .the sword rattled and buzzed so i new something was wrong.Then the handle slabs came off! i replaced the pommel with JB weld and glued some more slabs on..over the next few weeks i prob glued on new handle slabs 5 times but they still came off ..so now i am building a handle out of JB weld .. so far its working pretty well the handle is extremely tough and will stand up to the rigors of serious brush and small tree removal .. .....so my question is ...IS A HANDEL OUT OF JB WELD gonna HOLD UP IN THE LONG RUN?? ~peter~ |
I see, I'm sorry I misunderstood, I did not realize that you were trying to glue slabs to the tang. I thought you were having a problem keeping the grip together in a more standard configuration. I guess that's why most medieval swords had either pommels in the case of cruciform swords or pins in the case of falchions and messers. Why not add some pins? It shouldn't be that difficult. Alternately I think that the wrapped grip that was mentioned above would be a better plan then trying to glue wood to metal. The only sword type that I can think of that was built the way you are attempting to is the south east asian dha or dharb. They use some sort of tree resin glue I believe historically... and even that fails over time.
TRITONWORKS Custom Scabbards
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John Cooksey
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| Posted: Fri 25 May, 2007 10:49 pm Post subject: |
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At the risk of not sounding (or being???) helpful, I'd say either wrap the grip area with some sort of flexible organic like cord or leather, or rivet the handle scales to the tang. I have never seen a sword that had handle scales that didn't incorporate at least one rivet or pin or peg. There could be some out there, I just don't know about them . . . . .
Also, on a sword that short, you really don't need a separate pommel. It's just something else to get in the way or fall off. A pommel cap to finish off the handle maybe, but nothing large or heavy.
If I was going to use a chainsaw blade for a sword (and I have thought about throwing one on the fire, just to see what I could do with it), I would contour a kindjal/qama type pommel at the base of the tang, out of the blade material itself, and then just pin grip scales to the handle and pommel area in one piece. Exactly like a kindjal or qama.
That just my two drachma's worth . . . .
I didn't surrender, but they took my horse and made him surrender.
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Peter Headings
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| Posted: Fri 25 May, 2007 10:55 pm Post subject: |
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Well , that sounds good ...but i already glued on the pommle with jb..and its not coming off! ..and i just finished building the grip out of jb..i think it will do the job!!! ~peter~
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