Bolster Glazing

Codger_64

Codger_64

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Before I dove headfirst into the cutlery manufacturing process pool (obvously in deep water I had never tried before), like most folk, I thought that the act of reducing covers to meet flush with bolsters was called buffing, or sanding, or polishing, but the correct term in Schradeology is GLAZING.

A week or so ago, I showed a factory picture of robotic bolster glazing. Here is the process being done by hand. I have done similar work on other machined parts, and let me tell you it is not as easy as it appears. One mistake in the amount of pressure applied results in a flat spot, or a wrong radius, or digging a depression in the softer cover material. This is one of the processes where a cutler must know his craft.


Codger
 
Notice that the robot glazed the covers before they were assembled and the manual process glazes the assembled knife.
 
Is that because the unassembled cover/liners are harder for the human hand to control than an assembled knife, or because the human must be able to rotate and compare the two sides to get them even?



Codger
 
It was easier for the robot to handle the cover by itself there was less variation and less complicated gripping. If you look at the older knives you will see more variation in the glazing of the bolsters than you will see in most of the last year's 34OT's and 8OT's (some were still glazed by hand).
 
I can't see the operation that well in the old picture but it looks like the woman is deburring the edge not glazing the bolster (the knife is open)
 


I looked back in my files and the one of the ladies is labeled "polishing", though I am not certain of the accuracy.

Codger
 
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