full tang bolsters? solder or pin

butcher_block

butcher_block

Joined
Dec 6, 2004
Messages
6,212
well its happened i ahve to learn one way or the other maybe both
i need the + - of them and how to any help would be great
oo and its SS blade + SS bolster. from what i understand that makes it fun to do :barf:
 
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I use pins, then rivet them down in countersunk holes. I flatten the undersides of both, then grind and sand one of them to be square to the tang and on the grip edge, or however I want the finished bolster to set on the tang. Then superglue in place on the tang where I want it. My tang holes will already be drilled by now. I then drill through the tang holes, and on through the bolster blank. I break the drilled bolster from the tang, and glue it to the other bolster, and drill through those holes. Then I pin them together and dress and true them as a unit. Front and back ends. I even pre-polish the front edge. Then countersink the holes, place on the tang, and peen the pins down well. If the peening is done well, the pins are basicly invisible when polished. You may see them if you look close because of the grain direction in the pins. I would much rather trust this method, than trust solder to hold them, and no clean up unless your hammer strikes an edge.
 
IMO, pins and good epoxy are the way to go. I have thought about soldering them as well as pinning them on, but have not found a need to do so yet.
 
I was taught to just use pins with no epoxy or solder. Anything between the pins and bolsters or bolsters and tang would leave a visible line.

To just use pins, you need to get your surfaces clean and flat, I use a tapered pin reamer to taper the pins just a little so that when you spread the pin material it pulls the bolsters tight against the tang. If you do it right you wont be able to see the pins or the lines between the tang and bolsters. So far I've not messed up one yet. (oh great, now i'm probably gonna mess up the very next one!)

Good luck!
 
I pinned but stopped making bolsters because I felt it didnt really help as far as the structure of the knife. It added weight and also limited the shaping of the handle.


DONT LET ME DISCOURAGE YOU:D Just my own experiences passed on...
 
not that i want to make bolsters but this guy has been using bolstered kitchen knives for 20+ and couldnt be talked out of them
i too like the idea of pins but dont know if i could peen them right and make the bolsters fit nice and flush
 
I had that problem too.
Try this....drill both of them so that you can use the holes to place a pin and shape both of them. Then when your ready to pin them on the knife, epoxy them in place first. Then they wont move when yoy pin them on for real :)
 
they need to make tapered corby bolts that have a tapered drill fro them so i could jsut snug them up and grind off the tops
 
Pinning isn't that hard. Having viewed your knives I know you can do it with no problems. If I am going to pin I get the basic shape of the knife ground, Then, I take the bolster material set with the blade side and scale side ground or machined to match and clamp them togeather in my drill vice and drill my holes. then set one bolster against the tang with super glue and then drill through the tang. then I super glue the other bolster on and glue in the pins. Then I grind and shape away, fit the scales and profile the handle getting everything very close to finished. Blade, bolsters, scales. Then I tap out the pins with a good punch with a square face and a slightly smaller punch shaft than pin diameter. I drive them out with the other bolster setting on a fair sized piece of brass I have that has a variety of small holes in it for the pins to move into. Then I fine sand and polish the blade and the bolster faces where they will meet the blade. Then bevel the pin holes in the bolsters with a bit about twice the diameter of the pins. I just go in with the drills bevel enough to see a good bevel around the orginal pin hole, not enough to start masking a new cylindrical hole. Then I assemble and put in new pins that is slightly longer than the original pin and has lightly rounded ends. An 1/8" pin would be 1/8" longer. Then, I set one side of the pin and bolster on a small "anvil" on my bench and proceed to tap on the other end of the pin with a very small ball peen hammer. Tap tap tap tap, roll the knife over and tap tap tap the other side. I keep tapping and rolling untill the pins are flat and tite on both sides. Even a fairly hard pin will mushroom to enough well aimed taps. Then after I epoxie on my scales and scale pins I finish grinding the bolsters and scale sides with 220 and on up to polish. You are rivetting the pins on and they will get tight
 
I agree with ib2v4u. Your skills are way beyond pinning some bolsters. I can't wait to see your kitchen knives with bolsters. I'm with the customer on this one...there's something right about gripping a solid bolster when you're chopping, and pinning is the next best thing to integral. I dont trust solder for the long haul.
 
Hi Butch,
When I want to Dress a bolster up I use small mozaic pins. My Wife say's it adds a touch of class.
 
Hi Butch,
I start with 2 stainless bolsters, rectangles with a flat inside contact surface, leaving extra bolster on the height and length. Transfer the 1/8" holes from the knife to one of the bolsters. Transfer holes to the other bolster. Pin the bolsters together with temporary pins [I use brass]. Grind to finish the blade and handle end. Disassemble bolsters.
I use 1/8" pins, so I use a #2 taper pin reamer and ream the outside of the bolster until I am halfway into the bolster. DEBUR the inside of the bolsters. I cut, measure and slightly champher the pins to 3/16" over length.
Drill a hole into a piece of 1/16" sheet metal and put over a hard surface. Assemble the bolsters with the pins and check for gaps.
Put the assembled knife and both pins installed over the sheet metal with one of the pins in the hole. The other end of the same pin should stick up out of the bolster. Hit Hit Hit.....
Flip over onto hard surface with no sheet metal, hit and check for gaps using a light. (Squeeze with a vice to get bolsters flat if needed.)
Than hit until pin is flat. Do the same for the secound pin.
Finish Grind.
Some people like to squeeze the pins in with a vice but I like the hammer.
I don't use the glue to fill any gaps.
I hope I helped.
Here is one with the mosiac pins.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=436967
 
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