Mokume-Gabe slipjoint

[Steve Beckwith]

 

[Steve Beckwith]

I'm clumsy with posting pictures, I don't do it often. This is made with 15N20, rust blued with copper liners, cherry red and black G-10 scales and Mokume-Gane bolsters made from stacking quarters and forging them into an ingot. I like rust bluing on carbon steel because i live in a Florida beach town so corrosion is relentless. Also, i perspire a lot and carbon steel blades pick up quite a bit of rust from simply being in my pocket. The rust bluing helps hide the inevitable rust stains on the blades. Also, I just noticed that the thread title is mis-spelled. Should be Mokume-Gane. Dang spell check!

 

[Ken H>]

Great job Steve. I've not yet got up the nerve to try a double blade slipjoint..... yet {g}

Do you mind if I pick your brain a tad? You mention copper liner - I like that. How did you attach the Mokume-Gane bolsters to the copper liner - Solder? Did you use a single backspring or double?

 

[Steve Beckwith]

Ken, I used solder to attach the bolsters and double springs. I tried a single spring to cut down on the overall thickness of the finished knife but that gets pretty crowded in the blade pocket. I have tried in the past to use a Loctite primer/epoxy that someone on this forum recommended to attach the bolsters and while that worked, I found it to be very sensitive to heat and when I finish ground the liner/bolster I had to be very careful not to over heat everything or the bolsters would come loose. For me, solder is the way to go.

 

[Ken H>]

Steve, Thank you for response. I agree solder is the way to go. I use Sta-brit type silver solder (around 6% silver) to solder brass bolster to SS liner for slipjoints.

I wondered if it were possible to make a single backspring work, but suspected it would difficult to make it work. Thanks for the info.

Ken H>

 

[Steve Beckwith]

Ken, I have an old Buck knife, probably the smallest stockman they made, that had a single back spring. On that knife the liners are brass and they added an extra piece of brass that pretty much follows the contour of the spring then it turns up on both ends so the pivot pins can anchor it on each end. This gave them the extra room to allow 2 blades in an otherwise too narrow of a space. Make sense? It is a simple fix but I'm not sure I am explaining it properly.
I used the stabright solder and flux on this BTW

 

[kc custom]

Ken H and the rest of the people messing around with slipjoints. First off eventually I hope to post more of them for sale myself. I will lightly describe my process and give credit where its due.
I learned about this solder (brazing alloy) from Phil Booth. Its called "extra easy" and comes in paste form from a jewelry supply. Apply thinly to both surfaces and heat while lightly clamped,
it will nearly be at red heat before the paste melts---when it goes its done. You can grind this to blue without worry of breaking the joint. I used to mill them out (frames) integral and have'nt
done a single one on the mill for like 7 years. I use oxy acetylene but I know 2 propane torches will work. One of the biggest changes in my knifemaking life.
Ken.