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Damascus and 2"pc bolsters
- Thread starter John L
- Start date
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith
ilmarinen - MODERATOR
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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2004
- Messages
- 38,362
When you start dealing with bolsters,you open a whole new world of things that can P**s you off.The problem areas are
1) the handle fit against the bolster
2) the bolster pins and sides.
The bolster can be pinned,shaped,etched and such before handle fit.The problem is that when you fit the handle you will take off some (read most) of the etching from the bolster.
Here are some tricks to help ease the pain.
Test fit everything before hard assembly.Don't install the bolsters until you have pretty well fitted the handle.Super glue bolsters in place temporarily while fitting handle (just leave the pins sticking out a bit).A little heat from a torch will pop them right off later.
Make a scrap,hard wood handle which is tacked on with glue (not pinned or bolted).That way the shape and flow of the bolsters/handle can be finalized before the good handle is fitted.
Install the bolsters and trim up.Etch the blade/bolster assembly.Seal the bolster seam with thin super glue before etching.
You can coat any part you don't want to etch anymore with any good etch resist (asphaltum,nail polish,etc.)
Fit ,install,and trim the handle.
Tightly wrap plastic electricians tape over all the handle,fitting the tape exactly to the bolsters (I often coat the main part of the handle with Renaissance or car wax to protect it even more,just leave a 1/4 inch uncoated for the tape to get a good grip on at the bolster).Mask off the blade ,if desired ,with etch resist.Re-etch as needed to touch up the fitting areas at handle.Neutralize well and remove tape.Clean again with TSP to make sure you got all the etch neutralized.
For damascus butt caps the tape trick works too.
1) the handle fit against the bolster
2) the bolster pins and sides.
The bolster can be pinned,shaped,etched and such before handle fit.The problem is that when you fit the handle you will take off some (read most) of the etching from the bolster.
Here are some tricks to help ease the pain.
Test fit everything before hard assembly.Don't install the bolsters until you have pretty well fitted the handle.Super glue bolsters in place temporarily while fitting handle (just leave the pins sticking out a bit).A little heat from a torch will pop them right off later.
Make a scrap,hard wood handle which is tacked on with glue (not pinned or bolted).That way the shape and flow of the bolsters/handle can be finalized before the good handle is fitted.
Install the bolsters and trim up.Etch the blade/bolster assembly.Seal the bolster seam with thin super glue before etching.
You can coat any part you don't want to etch anymore with any good etch resist (asphaltum,nail polish,etc.)
Fit ,install,and trim the handle.
Tightly wrap plastic electricians tape over all the handle,fitting the tape exactly to the bolsters (I often coat the main part of the handle with Renaissance or car wax to protect it even more,just leave a 1/4 inch uncoated for the tape to get a good grip on at the bolster).Mask off the blade ,if desired ,with etch resist.Re-etch as needed to touch up the fitting areas at handle.Neutralize well and remove tape.Clean again with TSP to make sure you got all the etch neutralized.
For damascus butt caps the tape trick works too.