# How to prevent tang flex?



## Eamon Burke (May 12, 2011)

Lets say a knife has a thin, flexy blade. Is there a way, other than to weld it to a different piece of metal, to prevent the metal from flexing in between the handle scales? Do wood scales usually prevent this enough on their own?

I'll be making an experimental paring knife soon, and don't want to finish it, and find out my flexy piece of steel will pop the handle scales off.


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## Dave Martell (May 12, 2011)

Hi Eamon, I've rehandled some really flexy tanged knives and found that the scales serve to stiffen up the action significantly once bolted up. I would think, however, that it's always possible to flex a blade enough to move inside the scales but I'd think that the scales would have to a) be not epoxied & b) only have pins used to allow any scale movement. Basically I'm saying that I think that it's not an issue really.


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## EdipisReks (May 12, 2011)

one way to fix it is to only use wa blades.


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## Eamon Burke (May 12, 2011)

Good to hear! Thanks.


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## l r harner (May 14, 2011)

yep corbys are the best way and i have not had problems using pinstock on my 1/16 blade stock 
that said i think more and more about jsut grinding 3/32 thick down to 1/16 at the blade and that way i get the best of both worlds (stiff tang flexy blade) i do all my fishing knives liek this now


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## Salty dog (May 14, 2011)

It's an issue. I have two knives that I can feel the torque in the handle. (Two different makers)


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## Eamon Burke (May 14, 2011)

l r harner said:


> yep corbys are the best way and i have not had problems using pinstock on my 1/16 blade stock
> that said i think more and more about jsut grinding 3/32 thick down to 1/16 at the blade and that way i get the best of both worlds (stiff tang flexy blade) i do all my fishing knives liek this now


 
That is the most obvious solution, but it does make it a lot more expensive, and it's wasteful. You want a thick tang, but you don't need one with a fine carbide structure.


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## Eamon Burke (May 14, 2011)

Salty dog said:


> It's an issue. I have two knives that I can feel the torque in the handle. (Two different makers)


 
Are these two knives full, exposed tang knives?


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## Salty dog (May 14, 2011)

One is. One is close.


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## FryBoy (May 14, 2011)

These all help prevent tang flex, or so I'm told:


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## SpikeC (May 14, 2011)

:happy2::jumpy:


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## Eamon Burke (May 14, 2011)

:rofl2:


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## Salty dog (May 14, 2011)

Make note of the third peragraph.....http://library.witpress.com/pages/PaperInfo.asp?PaperID=17898

Nothing wrong with flexing it!


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## Eamon Burke (May 15, 2011)

Ah yes, tubular sections subjected to thermal and mechanical loads...


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