flat bolster for fillet knife question

[dustbust_1]

I bought a lauri fillet knife blank from thomson's and plan on putting a flat copper bolster on it. I havent been able to find one that has a thin enough hole so im going to have to make one. the hole would have to go thin enough to reach the edge of the blade (no ricasso). How does a guy go about creating a super thin hole for a fillet knife?

This is kind of an experimental knife. Im using fishing pole cork & rubberized cork for the handle.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Those blades are hidden tang, and you cut the slot just like a guard. You drill small holes at the ends of the planned slot and use a jewelers saw to cut out the web. Once the basic hole has been made, you use small needle files to enlarge the slot and make a good fit. It takes practice, and copper is very gummy to saw. If your planned bolster is very long, this would be a nightmare.

Don't fret, there is a way around that. What you do is first mill a slot that is larger than the blade almost all the way through the piece of copper. This slot should be just a tad wider than the tang. Mill it to within .125" of the front. It can be ugly, as this will be against the handle material, and the epoxy will fill the space. Then you can easily drill/saw/file the exact fitting slot for the last 1/8".

On copper, if the fit isn't perfect, just hammer the front of the bolster while on the blade and it will deform to a snug fit. Once everything is fitted, shape the bolster and assemble the handle. Be aware that copper is hard to work and will get HOT in sanding/grinding.

 

[dustbust_1]

Brilliant! Thank you. Never thought of hammering it so the slot closes. Thank you.