Bolsters

[Chuck Gedraitis Knives]

Ok, I just finished mirror polishing a blade that I am going to put bolsters on. The bolsters are rough fit and drilled. Should I attach them to the blade and then sand and polish them or should I sand and polish them to a certain point and then attach them. I don't have a pin press so I will be peening the pins on them with a hammer. Or should I fit the top and bottom perfectlly and just sand and polish the flats after I peen the pins?
thanks
chuck

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A Knife is no more than an Iron Tooth

 

[BCK]

Striper28:
I dont have a pin press either, (tried to make one, looks impressive, but doesn't work worth a darn). I find that peening with a small hammer works fine. I dont do any work on the Bolsters, except for rough shaping, untill after they are attached. Then I attach the Scales, rough grind to the shape I want, & then hand sand both Scales & Bolsters for a few hours. Works for me

 

[TLFranklin]

I will tell you what was recommended to me. Finish the portion of the guard that is closet to the blade, you do not want to have to do any sanding where the bolster meets the blade. Otherwise, you will quickly remove the mirror polish from your blade - which will be difficult to restore later. As far as the rest of the bolster, just get it into rough shape and attach. You can smooth out the rest with no harm being done to the blade. Good luck.

 

[Ray Murski]

Chuck, The first thing I do after finishing the blade is to wrap tape around the blade so there is no unwanted scratches. Drill the holes in the bolsters and then temporarily mount them on something(4" of scrap steel) so that you can shape and finish the front of the bolsters. When you are finished with the front of the bolsters; square up and dove dove tail the back of the bolsters for a sweet look. Counter sink the pin holes on the bolsters. Use a small ball peen hammer to mushroom the pins into the counter sinks. If the handle is the same thickness as the bolsters you can install the handles and grind the pins on both the handle and the bolsters at the same time. After the pins are ground down, you can even up the the handle and bolsters with the out line of the knife. I would then clamp the blade in a vise and use the shoe shine method of rounding off the corners of the handle starting with 80-100 grit sand paper. Take your time and think it out. If you are using wood for the handle do not over heat it. The wood will shrink and leave gaps over time. Good Luck--Ray--