More From the WiPA

That would be the Works-in-Progress-Administration.
When last seen this blade was just a mutilated tire-iron. Now it's got a handle.
However, it got a handle only on the third attempt.
Attempt #1; I cut the gates in the mold too small and it cooled with a giant shrink hole in the casting.
The metal was too cool to begin with for the second attempt so it came out looking like it had been made of modeling clay by a talented child.
This one though... #3 is a thing of beauty.

Just pleased not to have to melt yet another hunk of brass off this blade.
Concurrent with this project is another Mall Ninja, MK I rework.
This casting is a far superior product to the BUDK example we discussed in this post.
This casting is actually bronze (!!!) - and the pommel nut is threaded for a tang with some beans. The BUDK used 10/32 threaded rod while this one calls for a tang that's a full 1/4".
From the pic you can see how the pommel nut works.
For my version, I tried to find some sort of specialized fastener that could be bullied into serving as the pointy pommel but to no avail.
I ended up spot-welding some threaded rod into a 5/16 coupling nut (Upper right). I then chucked it into the drill press and ground it down with an angle grinder as it rotated.
I burned the plating off it, just to give it a nice patina - and so that the cadmium fumes could enhance my lungs' corrosion resistance.
The stub of the rod was then epoxied into a hole in the ass-end of the handle and voila!
I throw a sheath around it and it'll be off like a prom dress.