Fixing blade wobble on slip joints.

coyote711

coyote711

Joined
Sep 19, 2009
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Hey guys. A thread over in the Traditionals sub-forum got me thinking about this issue again and I've got a couple questions.

I've tried the hammer fix and the squeeze-in-the-vice method. Overall I've had pretty satisfactory results. However, in my experience, either one of these methods will sometimes result in being able to see the pins in the bolsters. What do you use to sand/buff the bolsters to make the pins "disappear" again?

And then I got to wondering if the holes drilled in the bolsters (for the pin) are tapered/cone shaped? It seems if they were straight and you squeezed the bolsters together, that after a little lateral pressure on the blade(s) you'd be right back where you started - blade wobble. I imagine the pins have to be mushroomed somehow to keep the joint tight. Are they mushroomed just on the surface of the bolsters somehow and then buffed smooth, or are the holes cone shaped to accommodate the mushrooming?

Thanks in advance for all replies!
 
Good question Coyote711...I am really interested in how the pro's do this as well. I have a few traditional knives I want to fix right. Subscribed
 
Keith, I am no expert and expect others do different, but when/if the pins reappear after fixing a wobble with a hammer, I go tappitty tappitty with a lighter hammer, very carefully, very gently. Then file back flush and then set to repolishing the bolsters with micromesh (an abrasive cloth) and work from about 2000 grit (depending on what's needed) to about 6000.

This I find blends them back in.

I think there is something else to this though. But, like I say, not only am I a total amateur, but I am also a totally uninformed total amateur :)
 
The exposed pin heads should be peened, using some sort of anvil and a small hammer. It's best to do the with the blade half-way open.
Then file, sand and polish.
 
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