bolsters/guard

marekz

marekz

Joined
Jun 16, 2008
Messages
1,699
i have cut out and grinded down a small hunter. i want to put a guard behind the riccoso but before the handle material. I cant do a one piece guard cause i cant slide it up the full tang.I was thinking of cutting to pieces of 440 and shaping it around the the space where i want it. then i am going to silver braze them togethr. does that sound right or is there an easier way- thanks marekz--oh and by the way i was gonna treat the O-1-heat with a torch ( till non magnetic )and quench it in 150 degree peanut oil--
 
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Cut a slot into your guard material so it's like a "U" then pin it to the tang. :)

Marek, O1 usually requires a soak to get the best results out of it. But heck, it won't be the best but if it's the best you can do, it's the best you can do :)
 
You could shoulder the grip for the guard, and slip the guard up the blade to the shoulders. Doesn't take much for guard shoulders. Forget the torch. If you can't do better than that, send it out for HT. You need 50° to 75° more heat over non-magnetic, and 01 needs a soak at quench heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
 
LRB said:
You could shoulder the grip for the guard, and slip the guard up the blade to the shoulders. Doesn't take much for guard shoulders. Forget the torch. If you can't do better than that, send it out for HT. You need 50° to 75° more heat over non-magnetic, and 01 needs a soak at quench heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
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He's right about the HT but I'm trying to shake the "steel snob" can that's tied to my tail ;) :p
 
LRB- when you say soak at quench do you mean i need to leave it in the oil for that long? I watch a person show me that after non magnetic you stick it into the oil tip down for a few minutes then throw the blade in the oven at 4oo degrees for 1 hour x2.-thanks marekz.--I have a sugrcreek knife kiln that I was gonna use then use the peanut oil but i fiquered O-1 would work fine with a torch. I still havent tryed the kiln.
 
You've got a HT oven? Noooooo you soak the O1 at ummm (I dunno the temp because I don't work O1) is it 1475 or 1525? :confused: but you let it soak in your HT oven for 10-15 minutes at temperature THEN it goes into the quenchant.

The torch method will work with a simple 10xx series steel, O1 and other carbon steels prefer soaks to get the carbon dissolved.
 
Yup, you do not need the kiln. Pass it on to some poor bloke that can't control a torch as well as you can. Say, it'll be a bit of an inconvenience, but I'll help you out and get that bulky unused kiln out of your way.

Use the kiln!
 
I've got a torch I don't use maybe we could trade. Unused torch for unused kiln.:D What do ya think?

Darren
 
Will Leavitt said:
Cut a slot into your guard material so it's like a "U" then pin it to the tang. :)
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Yeah, kind of like this. That supplier appears to be sold out, but a guard like that is fairly simple to construct. Just be careful cutting/filing the slot, you want it to fit nice and snug. Preferably so snug that you have to tap it on with a mallet. If you do that, use JB Weld and/or a pin, I don't think there's any need for soldering or brazing.

Drill for the pin BEFORE heat-treat or you will be cussing. There are a lot of little details along the way, don't be shy about asking if something stumps you. These fellows will help you out. But don't be scare to try it either, it's not rocket science and guard material is cheap.

By all means use your kiln! Somewhere around here is a recommendation for the proper temps/ soak time for O1. See Mike's post below.
 
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The O1 I got from fastenal says HT: 1450-1500 degrees, oil quench. Temper: 300-350 for 1 hr for 62-64 RC, 400-450 for 58-60 RC, 800-850 for 48-52 RC.
 
ok ok the kiln is coming on. i just need to lern the setting on it. so ill keep it at around 1500 then let it soak at that temp for the specified time--then quench- then temper. Im trying to picture in my little mind how the u guard will look on the spine. it seems it would look a bit tacky, but i quess with the handle material flush up against it it will look ok.I need to reaaly take my time and shape it out especially since i want it to curb slightly--thanks marekz
 
If you get a good fit with the U guard, it will look fine. That is a common type guard. Don't do any shaping until it is permantly mounted and with the grips on. Leave it all block shaped until everything is down for good, then do the shaping for all of it. When you temper, I would suggest you go at a minimum of 425° for 2 hours X 2. Let it air cool to room temp in between. By the way, any time you here someone say to go to non-magnetic, then quench, they really don't have a proper grasp of heat treating. Not even for simple steels.
 
LRB said:
By the way, any time you here someone say to go to non-magnetic, then quench, they really don't have a proper grasp of heat treating. Not even for simple steels.
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Wooooowwwww Mr. Ellerby.... ah well, I'll leave the windmills and sheep to others. It's too nice a weekend.
 
i dont really like to tell everyone how much of a fool i can be, anyway,,i Rushed downstairs---cut the slot in the guard with a bandsaw and began to file. the top i files a bit too much ( so there was a tiny space between the spine--bummer). I proceded to file lower in the slot until i felt it would be a snug fit. I started off gently tapping the blade into the slot, - then a bit more aggresively.--It fit BUT it got stuck. I mean really stuck. I tried everything to get it off. I ended up bendin the blade!!! tore into my grind and generally messed up my blade. I flat ground down fairly close so i have really no room for repair.---take your time--lesson learned. thanks marekz
 
You goofball! Ha Ha you're the very first person that's ever done that!

Not.

You may have been able to get the guard off with a bit of heat from a torch and some gentle malleting. (?) But maybe not.

You have the kiln going... could you anneal the blade, straighten it and regrind it maybe? If not, hang the whole mess up behind your bench as a reminder.
 
thanksjames- i thought i was the only one. It is in its annealed state- i was fitting the guard. On my profiling i got alittle too close at the edge and when i whacked the guard off it really dug into the edge part--so i dont think i can grind it down anymore-especially before heat treat. It will go in my F@@@ up box. lessoned learned. marekz
 
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