In this part of the tutorial we continue on with the knife making.

We start making the handle including the brass guard and drilling the holes that the handle will be attached to.

This picture shows us what part we will do next. We will make the wood handle and the brass guard. We will temporarily install them on the knife. But, that is only temporary because we still need to harden and temper the steel blade.

Let's first start on that brass guard. I used a piece of brass bar that is one inch wide and and 3/16 thick. I place it up against the knife so I can decide the length I want to cut it. This is a small dagger so this guard will not be long. But that is a personal preference.

Brass is terrific for a guard because it is easy to work. And it has a certain amount of grab to it. That grab is important in a knife fight. It would grab and stutter your opponents blade.

360 Brass Bar, Half Hard Temper, Meets ASTM B16 Specifications, 3/16" Height, 1" Width, 12" Length

This is the exact brass bar that I bought on amazon.

So I cut my piece and here is our brass guard. Now we need to drill a series of holes in it. This brass guard needs a slot so you can slide it over the handle and up against the base of the blade.

I used a drill press to drill a series of holes.

Then I used files to drag out those holes into a slot that will fit over the handle of the dagger.

This picture shows you where the brass guard sits up against. You make the slot long enough so you can slide the guard over the handle part. But the guard has sit snugly against that blade section. So don't make the guard slot so large that it slides over the whole knife!

Next we want to drill the holes in the handle so we can secure the wood handles to it. This picture shows the two center punch divets that I made where the holes will be drilled.

I used a drill press to drill out the holes. They are quarter inch holes.

Ok, Let's continue on with the making of this dagger

The Wonder of Knifemaking

Master smith Wayne Goddard is an icon in the field of knife making. As a full-time maker, teacher and writer, Goddard works as hard to teach knife making skills as he does to acquire them. His affiliation with BLADE Magazine has brought new and interesting information, tips and tricks to thousands of would-be knife makers. Other popular titles from Goddard include The Wonder of Knifemaking (2000) and $50 Knife Shop (2001 and 2006).

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