Imperial Barlow Rebolstered or "A man's got to know his limitations"

screened porch

screened porch

Basic Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2012
Messages
19,438
WHRfVChF

Although I respect Imperial for making good knives cheap that still last forever, I can't stand a Barlow with shell bolsters. It finally occurred to me I have enough of these to experiment on one. (Jowika, Saber, and Imperial, all of Ireland.) I took apart the Imperial and scanned its parts, on the theory that now I can make one from scratch and vary the blades.

J7Z9TowC

I was going to order some steel, but no, I'd use what I have so I'm not wasting money and a knife. I was going to use brass- I had some, and it's easier to work.
f02ScZxq

Then I remembered my brother's overhead garage door rail from the 1930s. Just about the right size in 2 dimensions. I filed off some kind of coating, then soaked in vinegar and wire-wheeled. (We took down that garage some time ago.)

zriHVqCL

I tried soldering one side so I wouldn't have to pin it, but soldering is one of my limitations. I tried soldering the other side after pinning, but that didn't work either. The bolster steel was easier to file and drill after that though.
gefQl3Ct

I won't say it's finished, but I'm done with it for now. I'm pleased I was able to peen without splitting. I have to remember to use a slackener next time so I don't get the blade too tight. I might still round off and smoothe out the bolsters on this and stamp Barlow on it.
If I do this again I'll be more careful with finishing. I was in a bit of a hurry to find out if I could do it at all.
(Result shown between standard Camillus Barlow and Sabre Irish Granddaddy.)
 
Last edited:
Cool stuff. I've been thinking about doing a similar project.

I'm wondering about soldering on bolsters. Is flux ever involved like when I solder on to a potentiometer, I almost always have to use flux.
 
I always use flux when soldering. It helps things to flow.

Screened, that's a great job. I admire you working with the materials you have on hand. That is very creative.
 
glennbad said:
I always use flux when soldering. It helps things to flow.

Screened, that's a great job. I admire you working with the materials you have on hand. That is very creative.
Click to expand...

What type of flux would you use for bolsters though? I know electrical, but not knife making.
 
Nice!

I want to try this some time. I may, the next time I am near a custom knife maker friend, have to go and bug him to walk me through with his equipment!

I have a 1x30 belt sander disk grinder combo, but not much else. I don't have a drill press, or any other nice tools.
 
Thanks, guys.
Woodrow, I think you do need flux. (I also need extensive training.) I tried my plumbing silver solder and the flux they sold with it, and I tried some old lead solder and the flux I found with it in the workbench. I'll see if my knife books tell me anything about the kind to use, which I should have thought of first.

I would recommend springing for nickel silver handle pins instead of steel music wire- much easier peening, even after normalizing. I'd still use steel for the blade pin.

I woke up in the night with an easier idea, too: pop the covers and drill/drive out just the blade pin, then put on the new bolsters and epoxy on new handles. You'd want to hold the knife in a vise while drilling to minimize movement around your bit.
 
great job :thumbup:
Wish i have some of those old Barlows for fun like this,
You will have more success wit soldering if you are careful not to burn the flux
Put some soldering wire on liner and heat slowly,clean up leaving only whats stick to liner,then do the same on bolster,press them together and heat slowly until soldered.
 
Bigfattyt said:
Nice!

I want to try this some time. I may, the next time I am near a custom knife maker friend, have to go and bug him to walk me through with his equipment!

I have a 1x30 belt sander disk grinder combo, but not much else. I don't have a drill press, or any other nice tools.
Click to expand...

I use cheap 1 x 30 belt sanders like the ones HF sells. You don't need a lot of specialty tools, just time and imagination. A decent buffer of some type is a huge plus though.

As far as the flux, I use a liquid solder that came with a silver solder kit I got from one of the knife websites.
 
rinos said:
great job :thumbup:
Wish i have some of those old Barlows for fun like this,
You will have more success wit soldering if you are careful not to burn the flux
Put some soldering wire on liner and heat slowly,clean up leaving only whats stick to liner,then do the same on bolster,press them together and heat slowly until soldered.
Click to expand...
Aha! I'll try that next time.
 
By the way,I don't know what I was dreaming when I talked about drilling and driving out the blade pin only. Chopping it with a thin knife and a hammer has got to be easiest.
Again by the way, my courage for this project came from Ben Kelly Jr's Complete Book of Pocket Knife Repair, and to a lesser extent Tim McCreight's Custom Knife Making.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top