A rat-tail tang, also known as a stick tang, is one of the more drastic sword tangs. The tang uses less stock material and is significantly narrower than the blade, thus giving it the resemblance of a rat (The blade is the thick body of the rat while the tang looks like the thin tail.)

May 18, 2014 · The major kukri sellers, (Himilayan imports, kukri house, etc.) use the term rat tail tang to mean not a full-exposed tang. The tang typically runs the length of the handle and is peened to a brass end cap, while also being held in place …

Rat tail tang knives have a shank that tapers towards the end, resembling the shape of a rat’s tail. This shank shape provides a balance between strength and weight. The manufacturing process is usually as follows: rat tail blanks are usually forged from high-carbon steel or stainless steel.

Apr 21, 2012 · What are the benefits of having a full tang in a khukri vs. having a rat-tail tang, and vice versa? I think I recall reading that rat-tail tangs allow for more material in the handle, leading to better absorption, but a full tang is more structurally sound overall.

To the knife obsessed, a tang is one of the most important characteristics on a fixed-blade knife. In simplest terms, a knife tang is the bottom portion of a blade that extends down into the handle.

Jun 2, 2013 · This is a series of pictures and drawings of tangs to show you how to identify a rat-tail tang: This is pretty typical. A thin rod has been welded onto the base of the blade. A drawing of a couple different variants of rat-tail tang: How that second tang looks in reality: A link to a quick explanation of various tangs and peening methods:

Rat-tailed tang has a fascinating design that abruptly narrows right where the knife’s blade becomes tang. This design gives the rough appearance of a rat where the blade is the rat’s body, and the tang is its tail.

If you’re imagining a thin rat’s tail, you’ve got a pretty good idea of what the inner metal within the handle of a rat-tail knife looks like. While rat-tail tangs or stick tangs extend back to the base of the handle, they do so in the form of an ultra-thin, rat-tail-sized strip of metal.

In both partial tang designs, the tang shaft is not full width in the handle and is sometimes called a stick tang or a rat tail tang. Each design imparts different characteristics to the knife. We will review each design and the advantages and disadvantages of each tang to determine the features each one gives to the knife.

Rat-tail knives are considered to be one of the worst types around. They’re one of the weakest partial tangs you can get your hands on. Surprisingly, rat-tail tangs extend almost all the way to the butt of the knife.