Had an idea for a glue-laminated aluminum cross-hilt

[Hew]

I was looking at the scrap bin at my workplace, and tried to think up a use for some 1/8" sheet aluminum scraps, mostly an inch or two wide.

Considered lamellae but, well, it'd take a lot of them to make it useful. And they would still be aluminum.

Then I wondered if it would work if I used the bandsaw to rough-cut a bunch of layers and glue them together with JB Weld to make an aluminum cross-hilt for rattan weapons, somewhat like the Mandrake crosshilts. Something like 16 layers, I think. Follow up the gluing with filing and coarse-sanding to the final shape.

One option might be to make them in two halves (lengthwise), and bolt them together over a shaved section of the rattan. If bolted halves, I'd countersink the ends of the holes so the bolt head and nut are flush, possibly even filing out the nut end (of the holes) to make it self-wrenching. If not bolted, then either rivet or just glue it all together.

The outer layers in the middle could be T-shaped, giving a sort of double tang for clamping or taping.

Does that sound like a plan?

[knitebee]

I'm not an expert here but it might work but I'd also rivet it every inch or so.

Brian