Does Brass Really Have No Class?

[danbot]

What's your opinion? Do you like brass on a knife?

Personally, I like it until it gets that dirty looking patina. Then I will polish it back to a nice shine!

What other materials do you like/dislike on a knife?

 

[jbmonkey]

like it. easy to polish up. also like how it looks with a patina. dislike verdigris. when keep in a leather sheath.

there isnt much i dislike really. everything has a place.

 

[Horsewright]

I use both brass and nickel silver as bolster material:

Each has its merits and its differences. I would say that brass is far more popular with my customers, maybe 10 to 1. I think brass has more "rusticity" to it as my ranching partner says which is part of its allure. I think its also more traditional looking. Nickel silver is harder and resists tarnishing better. Its more expensive and is more difficult to work with than brass. Nickel silver is far better to have engraved:

I think a lot of it comes down to personal taste. Just finished up a set of steak knives for the wife. You know one of those projects that kept getting pushed to the back burner. So they were on the bench all laid out for several months, handle material, brass bolsters, spacers, each laid out next to the blade it was gonna go on. As time permitted I even got the bolsters drilled up for each individual blade, 3 or 4 here the rest there. Just about ready to start putting them together with the batch of knives I was currently working on and the wife comes out to the shop and says: I wished you would of used nickel silver on these. So in the trash goes the brass and I order up a couple extra bars of nickel. Good call cause they rock.

 

[Charlie Mike]

I like it due to the weight. Patina is nice too. Once I get my CNC running, the first thing I make will be a run of brass channel handle balisong.

 

[Dr Heelhook]

I love it.

 

[3fifty7]

I hate it, along with gold. I just can't stand the color of it.

 

[Icky Thump]

Love brass and copper...prefer both w/ patina..brass can look like bronze if you let it.

 

[ourgon]

Nice finished G-10. Like in BM 585-2.

Brass isn't bad if it's small accent like in ZT 0392WC or thumb discs/studs. But whole brass scales are for me deal killer. Brass/copper colours forced on titanium are nice like in CKF customs.

 

[danbot]

I like it due to the weight. Patina is nice too. Once I get my CNC running, the first thing I make will be a run of brass channel handle balisong.

Can't wait to see it CM!!

 

[george65]

I don't like brass. too stinky

 

[danbot]

I hate it, along with gold. I just can't stand the color of it.

Do you like nickle silver? Or do you prefer Stainless?

 

[sharp_edge]

Yes - brass tends to get less shiny relatively quickly but is also very easy to be polished back. So, I don't dislike it.

 

[G. Scott H.]

I'm not a big fan of brass, but I love copper. I wish there were more knives with copper bolsters, pins, etc. If something a bit harder is needed for some reason, there are plenty of high copper content bronzes that still look like copper.

 

[Gaston444]

I don't like brass. too stinky

The smell really does stay on your hands... I will Cerakoat any brass I get.

The only brass I ever liked was the small guard on the original CS Tanto: It looked nice because the guard was small.. G.

 

[3fifty7]

Do you like nickle silver? Or do you prefer Stainless?

Nickel silver, silver, stainless, blued finish, CCH, parkerized, browned, hell I really like what has been done with copper in the last few years.
I just don't care for brass or gold. I haven't had enough experience with bronze to form an opinion.

 

[skyhorse]

Great stuff!

 

[jackknife]

Can't stand to have brass around. Had to polish the shite for every inspection when I was in the army. When I got out of the army, I promised myself three things; I wasn't going to even run across the street, I wasn't going to have anything to do with an AR or any derivative of said rifle with black plastic stock, and I wasn't going to polish any brass!

I'm pretty good about keeping promises to myself.

 

[McFeeli]

I think brass looks the best on show room pieces, all shined up and looking pretty. For a knife I plan to use and abuse, I'd prefer nickle silver. Much easier to maintain in my opinion.

 

[palonej]

Gorgeous work Dave!
Damn!
Joe

I use both brass and nickel silver as bolster material:

Each has its merits and its differences. I would say that brass is far more popular with my customers, maybe 10 to 1. I think brass has more "rusticity" to it as my ranching partner says which is part of its allure. I think its also more traditional looking. Nickel silver is harder and resists tarnishing better. Its more expensive and is more difficult to work with than brass. Nickel silver is far better to have engraved:

I think a lot of it comes down to personal taste. Just finished up a set of steak knives for the wife. You know one of those projects that kept getting pushed to the back burner. So they were on the bench all laid out for several months, handle material, brass bolsters, spacers, each laid out next to the blade it was gonna go on. As time permitted I even got the bolsters drilled up for each individual blade, 3 or 4 here the rest there. Just about ready to start putting them together with the batch of knives I was currently working on and the wife comes out to the shop and says: I wished you would of used nickel silver on these. So in the trash goes the brass and I order up a couple extra bars of nickel. Good call cause they rock.

 

[jbmonkey]

I like it due to the weight. Patina is nice too. Once I get my CNC running, the first thing I make will be a run of brass channel handle balisong.

im in for one of those. put me on that list please. thank you Sir.