Brass bolsters on a bushcraft knife. Bad idea? If not, is epoxy enough to hold them in place or is a pin a must?

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Cornwallis said:
I like answers with explanations, not assertions. I already knew that a pinned bolster is stronger than one that is just epoxied. I was looking for an explanation like the one the moderator finally gave me, not that the knife is going to break if I don't do something a certain way. If I'm not allowed to question the answers I get then what's the point of this forum?
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This is so sad to see and read. To try to respond to you, I have tried only epoxy on bolsters on a few kitchen knives (less stressful than bushcraft). Yep … after a while the bolsters popped off. As to “why”, look up an old thread of mine on adhesion, and peel strength(I think it might even be a sticky). I would also comment that it is extremely wise to listen to the voice of experience, even if not accompanied with a specific explanation of “why” … after all, most technology through history has evolved via experience, not a deep understanding of the science beneath it.
 
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Insulting or Rude behavior
Tyson A Wright said:
C Cornwallis It would have been reasonable to ask Stacy for more clarification when he answered your question. But you also attacked his character. Why? Because he took the time to offer you free advice? I don't agree with Stacy about everything, but he's on here trying to help people regularly - with advice, but also with sending free materials or tools to people that need them. Maybe your ego is the one that needs to be checked when someone is just answering a question that you asked.
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How did I attack his character? Be specific. FYI, the guy tried to intimidate me by saying I might be banned for saying I gave a false birth year in my profile. I SHOULD attack him for that sort of pettiness but I won’t. If you have something constructive to tell me then tell it, otherwise I’d appreciate it if you’d not waste my time.
 
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AVigil said:
On a cold day when you are "Bushcrafting" and you whack the spine to cut through a branch that shock will cause those glued on bolsters to fall off.
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Well then it’s a good thing I don’t live where it gets cold. It’s also good that I don’t abuse my knives by treating them like axes.
 
Cornwallis said:
C Cornwallis
How did I attack his character? Be specific. FYI, the guy tried to intimidate me by saying I might be banned for saying I gave a false birth year in my profile. I SHOULD attack him for that sort of pettiness but I won’t. If you have something constructive to tell me then tell it, otherwise I’d appreciate it if you’d not waste my time.
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Before he mentioned that your dishonest profile might get you banned:
Cornwallis said:
...I think a lot of you just repeat things you were taught by someone else...
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After he then responded to you request for the reasoning behind his answer:
Cornwallis said:
...Maybe you should spend some time working on your huge ego and less time making knives.
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So I am telling you something constructive, but whether it's a waste of time for you (or me) depends entirely on whether you have the character to accept it. I hope you do.
 
Tyson A Wright said:
Before he mentioned that your dishonest profile might get you banned:

After he then responded to you request for the reasoning behind his answer:


So I am telling you something constructive, but whether it's a waste of time for you (or me) depends entirely on whether you have the character to accept it. I hope you do.
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Tyson, I never said he was repeating information taught by someone else. I said a lot of people here do that and I think that’s true. I don’t take anybody’s word for anything and I’m not impressed by appeals to authority or experience. He eventually gave me a very good explanation for which I’m thankful.

As far as my profile is concerned, I have not been dishonest. You’re full of crap. My birth year is nobody’s business.
 
Cornwallis said:
Well then it’s a good thing I don’t live where it gets cold. It’s also good that I don’t abuse my knives by treating them like axes.
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If you never chop with it or baton it and the temperature is never to hot or to cold to weaken the epoxy bond it will perform spectacular in your sock drawer. Otherwise be prepared for those bolsters to pop off one day because you should have used JB weld at the minimum to have any hope for them to stay on.

There is a reason pocket knife makers pin and glue on their shields, you can find many a shield that was simply epoxied on has fallen off over time.
 
AVigil said:
If you never chop with it or baton it and the temperature is never to hot or to cold to weaken the epoxy bond it will perform spectacular in your sock drawer. Otherwise be prepared for those bolsters to pop off one day because you should have used JB weld at the minimum to have any hope for them to stay on.

There is a reason pocket knife makers pin and glue on their shields, you can find many a shield that was simply epoxied on has fallen off over time.
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I did use JB weld, vato. I also use my tools properly for the intended task. How many of you here have started a fire with nothing but a knife and a folding saw? I have. Sock drawer my butt.
 
Now you've got me on "awaiting moderator approval." Just delete my account. I want no part of this forum. You people are censorious, cliquish and petty. Again, DELETE MY ACCOUNT NOW.
 
Back to your original question. Bolsters on bushcraft. If its your personal knife you can do as you please. If its to be sold then you need to ensure it will survive the rigors an inept person will place on a knife should they use it for actual bushcraft work. Otherwise you will get people returning your knife and complaimg that it didn't hold up. If you havent experienced students in wilderness classes you'd be astonished at the torture some students bushcraft will place on blade during batoning and improvising tools and equipment. What you wouldn't do to a knife in a life time they'll do in 30 seconds.
Like I said. Just my 2 cents. If its for your personal , build em, use and learn. But when it comes to selling them, you'd better build for the worst abuse.
 
C Cornwallis
I think that whatever forums you join you are likely to get a similar reaction if (especially as a new member) you post in the same needlessly confrontational and abrasive manner. For example, there was no need in this post to say that about thru hikers.
Cornwallis said:
If you're thru hiking and your purpose is to push the limits of endurance, hiking 20 miles per day like some crazed, status-seeking yuppie, then carry something like a Spiderco Ladybug or even a razor blade
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Or to proudly proclaim that you are a contrarian who thinks 90% of what he reads is BS, or that most people here don’t know what they are talking about and just parrot others. This is throwing mud indiscriminately and is very counter productive when you have come to this place asking people to give up free time to offer you advice. You could put in all the work yourself and just test everything, or put in a bit less and use the search function and read threads (ever heard of “Glue wars”). Asking for advice is a short cut, and whether you believe what you are told or not, there are ways to ask for more information that will keep people talking.

You could have asked why brass doesn’t bond, basically everything in the first paragraph of your second post, no problem. It was paragraph number 2 where you implied Stacey was just parroting something he had heard others say, that started the problems. I bet you don’t think this comment mattered, but this was you picking a confrontation that set the tone for the rest of the thread.
Cornwallis said:
I think a lot of you just repeat things you were taught by someone else. I'm not saying you're wrong, but I am saying I'm not convinced.
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90 percent of what I read iS garbage and a lot people do just repeat what "experts" tell them. The out-of-context quote from another thread is a cheap shot. You must be a Ladybug fan.
 
The primary purpose of a bolster is in its definition... "To provide structural support". It is there to protect the scales/handle. The bolster should be bombproof on its own and optimally, connected to the scale as well(pinned/dovetailed). Even the best epoxy can only do so much... not many can handle excessive shear force.

Batonning, is just another task a bushcraft knife is expected to do. There is no shame in using a tool how you see fit. It is not reasonable to carry a separate(proper) tool for every perceived use. The lure of bushcraft is to make do with what you have available. We get hung up on defining knife "abuse" or "proper use"... the fact is that it's not so simple. I taught wilderness skills and primitive living for decades, was an engineer and a machinist for 15 years and have been a knifemaker for almost 18yrs, now. I beat the living snot out of my knives.... batonning, chopping, prying, digging, throwing, etc...

It's okay to ask for a deeper explanation, after someone answers your question... but it did come off rather abrasively.
 
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