bluing and attaching damascus bolsters

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Nov 17, 2006
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I want to make a drop point with blued damascus bolsters but dont quite know where to start. I am used to pinning bolsters with the same materials or a mosaic pin. The Mosaic pins would work for this but I want to give up as little of the damascus as possible. Any tricks for affixing bolsters I am missing? I know on a folder screws right through the bolster look ok but on a fixed I didnt think it would fly. Any ideas apreciated!

The second issue is when to blue. I usualy shape my bolsters on the knife with the handle mat installed. Can I blue the bolsters as a finishing step without risking getting it on the riccaso or spine? should I shape, blue, install, finish the knife then reblue andy spots that got rubbed off? Also will instant blue produce good results? Damascus nickel and steel.
 
You could do a hidden pin thing on your bolsters. Have the tang drilled for your hidden pins. Use you tang as a template to drill the undersides of your bolsters. Drill into the underside of the bolsters, but not all the way through them. You can then use shorter pins, and epoxy the two bolsters to the tang and your pins will be out of sight and out of mind. Your damascus pattern will be completely uninterrupted.

This is easier said than done though, but "not" impossible.

Scott (Ickie) Ickes
 
I saw one where a guy had access to a mill. He simply screwed a few flat top screws into the tang, then dovetailed the bolsters onto that. Once the handles were attached, the bolsters could not be removed as they were held in by the handle material.

Personally, I would use hidden pins a jbweld, but not on a hard use knife as bolsters can often take blows when chopping.
 
I saw one where a guy had access to a mill. He simply screwed a few flat top screws into the tang, then dovetailed the bolsters onto that. Once the handles were attached, the bolsters could not be removed as they were held in by the handle material.

Personally, I would use hidden pins a jbweld, but not on a hard use knife as bolsters can often take blows when chopping.
the dovetail thing is a smooth idea! A little epoxy in there for kicks, and its money! Man, cant wait to get my mill...
 
awsome guys, thanks for the input. The hidden pins sounds easier but the dovetail sounds cool. Have to try em both sooner or later.

Any input on bluing the bolsters? I know someone here has blued damascus! what stage did you do it at?
 
I heat blued these bolsters:
2.jpg

5.jpg

Process was to finish them, etch deeply, take the high points off to silver with 1200 grit paper, then heating from the center till blue. The silver steel turns blue, the nickel stays silver, and the parts etched deply with carbides still in the etch stay the same...looks sweet, IMHO
 
I say to make a "take down" knife and screw them on. I really like the idea of taking it apart to refurbish the knife as needed in the future.
 
Very nice David! I hadnt thought of heat bluing them, I was thinking traditional gun blue but that may be just the trick. Just a blowtorch or microtorch I assume?

Bruce I havent made many "dress pieces" so I love the idea of a clean piece but had thoughts of some hard use "pretty" knives. I may just have to try that. I suppose with a little luck and alot of skill you could center the screws in a raindrop to some interesting effect. I was also thinking engraved screws would look nice against a damascus bolster. Easier touch up of such bolsters would really be nice if it saw any use.

Thanks again guys! I really need to get a digital camera again (last one busted) as hopefully this may be a knife worth posting. =P
 
I say to make a "take down" knife and screw them on. I really like the idea of taking it apart to refurbish the knife as needed in the future.

You can combine the two approaches, I remember J.D. Smith showing us a folder he'd made for his father. The bolster screws came in from the back side of the liners. There were only a couple of screws visible on the outside of the knife -- you had to know what order to disassemble the puzzle in. :D
 
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