Bolsters - pins only?

T

tejas7

Joined
Sep 14, 1999
Messages
92
I put guards on about half the knives I make, have been doing less soldering and more close fitting and JB Welding.

As far as bolsters go, I have only done it a couple of times. I drilled holes and pinned them - I also laid them over a thin bed of JB Weld.

What is the easiest way to put on Bolsters? (Make that the easiest way that is will make them last through rough use)Is pinning enough? What size pins and drill bits work best. How much and what size counter sink? Is the JB Weld neccessary?

I really need to get better at it. My biggest fear is that they are going to come off of one of my knives in the future. Would be quite embarrasing!
 
i strongly object to using any kind of glue in bolsters/guards primarily because it turns black when you grind the guard/bolster. but to each his own... the standard for most knifemakers-installing bolsters-peening pin method....usually most guys use two pins thru the knife body...one above the other...not too close to the edges of the knife....when you make the bolsters.. use these holes as templates for drilling the holes in your bolsters...you will have to use your imagination about how to hold the bolster material...i leave it in long barstock form...mark where one hole goes with an awl...drill the hole....use a pin the size of the drill and put it thru both holes...and drill the second hole..then with pins in both holes i =scribe where to cut the bolster....then do the same thing on the other side....dont do the same thing over on the same side cause if your holes arent perfectly 90 degrees they wont be in the same place.....then i cut the bolsters.. put try pins thru both and square off the front so they are exactly the same...then the back, if you want to dovetail now it the time ...one at a time...right to the square line you have already made....so then you should have two bolsters that fit perfectly on your knife and are mirror image and square to each other....here come the fun,, and there is more than one way...some guys countersink and fill the void....works good, i was taught to just pound the crap out of the pin without csinking...it has always worked well for me...but everything must be lined up and sitting square and flat when you start or things will shift and you will end up with two bolsters that arent in line with each other...there are some other little quirks but im getting tired of typing. if you do it right you end up with bolsters that look like they are part of the blade....i always use 416 and 416 pins... they just about disappear when you grind it down...be carefull to stay on top of the pins and not hit the edges (bad bad).. also grind the bolsters almost to finish before y ou put the handles on so you dont burn your handle material with 416 thats cherry red.. i take them almost to finish..about 320 grit before i put the handle material on... hope that helps....adios

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http://www.mayoknives.com


 
I usually leave about 1/8" of pin sticking out on each side, lightly peen them to keep them in place then take a 3 lb hammer. Well you get the idea. The extra pin length is pushed back inside and swells the pin so much that it is impossible to drive the pin out again.

If the bolster is a little loose that goes away when the handle scales are glued on.

The key is to dry fit the bolsters to the tang to ensure a good mating surface.


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george
www.tichbourneknives.com
sales@tichbourneknives.com

 
Tom,
Very well said!! I totally agree about the JB weld, not needed. I usually put bolsters on tapered tang knives. I taper the area where the bolsters are going as well as the handle material. Because the bolsters are not going to be parallel to each other, I glue them on for drilling only. I clamp the blade in a vice with one bolster glued on the bottom of the blade. Then I locate one of the two pre-drilled holes in the blade. once the drill is lined up, I super glue the top bolster in place, then drill through, Bolster, blade and 2nd bolster. Next I nock off the top bolster, align the drill with the second hole, re-glue the top bolster back on again with a pin through the first hole, for alignment and drill the second hole. This allows me to drill straight through the bolsters laying on a tapered tang. If the drill wanders because the material isn't flat I use a small center drill.
Damn this took longer to type than it takes to do the actual opperation!! I should post this one the general forum so that they will know why handmade knives cost so much!!!
Have fun with this one!!!
NEIL

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http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/Meeting/5520/index.html


 
like george...i leave a little sticking up.. but nowhere near what he does...just a little like about 040 or so....and round the edges of the pin...i pound the crap out of the pin and the metal right around it.. making it turn into one piece of metal..almost! the main thing is its very secure and all the space between the hole and pin is disappeared...read all the post over again and give it a try...everyone does everything a little bit different from everyone else...even from the guy you learned it from....you gotta jump in to get wet.
 
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