Oval Ferrule

[crockett]

I am making a Mountain Man's double edge, fighting knife based on a photo I saw in a book. This knife has a rat tail type tang through a solid wood handle. The front of the handle- next to the guard- has a ferrule. In other words the front of the wood handle fits into the ferrule and the ferrule abuts the cross guard. The wood handle and the ferrule are oval.
So, I did the blade, did the guard, did the handle, and then the ferrule. I figured the ferrule would be easy- just cut 1" off some round steel tubing and turn it from round to oval in a vise. Didn't work- what I get is non-symetrical. On my next attempt I tried driving two round forms into the tube to bend-reform it from inside out and still not symetrical. It is close but not perfect. When I assemble the parts it looks okay but I KNOW it isn't just right and I'm not happy. Any advice on this appreciated.
Ideas...1. Is there any lamp, hadware, plumbing, etc part that is oval and would work? The oval would be 1 1/8" high and a little over 3/4" wide and about 1" long. The only other thing I am considering is to get a big block of solid metal and file out the part.

 

[LaBonte]

grind a piece (brass will do or a steel bolt/rod) to the size oval you need and form your ferrule around that - to sorta quote Tony Stark, That's how my Dad did it and that's how I do it...

 

[crockett]

I've considered that. I suppose that deep down inside I knew that was the answer but I was wondering if there was a quick and easy way. Guess not. In my experience most of the "quick and easy" methods end up with something that looks like is was a "quick and easy"- not that great.
On the form....Do you do a "lead in"? In other words if you drive the form into a tube, the first part of the form would need to be pretty round in order to enter the tube and then as the form is driven farther into the tube, the form becomes ever more oval- forming the tube as desired? I think that would be the way to do it.
Incidentally, In my experience round and oval forms "Look" easy to make while octagon shapes look more difficult however getting a symetrical round or oval can be more difficult- or at least that's been my experience.

 

[LaBonte]

re: lead in - yep the form should be tapered to begin with....