Polishing nickel silver bolster on old Hen and Rooster folder.

D

DDS

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Apr 16, 1999
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I recently picked up an old H&R folder from the 70's. It is in pristine condition except for the bolsters which are corroded. The one bolster cleaned up well using Fitz polishing paste, but the other one didn't fair so well. The dark corrosion came off, but the bolster appears to have a mottled or orange peel surface...not a high polish. It looks like as though it was coated with varnish that dried to a orange peel finish. Has anyone ever experienced this? I didn't want to use anything harsh in an attempt to buff it more since it is a nice Bertram example. Any suggestions on what this might be? Another description of this surface would be if you placed a thumb print on metal that left a corroded imprint. I have experienced this on brass but it easily polishes off. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Dave.
 
try some rubbing alcohol on a rag and see if that will remove the varnish. i have never paid any attention to the corrosion pattern when polishing up bolsters :D.
 
I tried that without success. The other bolster is like a mirror this one as described...orange peel. Could it actually be a varnish coating? If so, maybe mineral spirits or some type of solvent? As it is now, it looks weird having one nicely polished bolster and the other one blemished.
Thanks for the reply.
 
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0000 steel wool is the only other thing i can suggest or some never dull which is banana oil soaked into cotton wadding.
 
I'd be interested in seeing a close-up pic of the bolster. If the 'orange peel' on the bolster is actually some kind of coating (varnish), then I'd think some very mild, but relatively coarse abrasive (like baking soda) might be something I'd try. The idea being, hopefully the baking soda is hard enough to scrub off the coating, but not hard enough to scratch the nickel. OR, as you've suggested yourself, some solvent might be used (I also thought about mineral spirits for this). With the solvent, I'd apply it sparingly with a Q-tip, and let it soak for a bit (15 to 30 minutes, perhaps). Then scrub a bit with a toothbrush or something similar. I'd try this first, as it's least likely to damage anything, whether it works or not.

If the orange peel is the result of pitting by corrrosion, then I'd consider using some very high grit wet/dry sandpaper (1000 grit or so) to sand/buff it out, UNLESS you're absolutely dead-set against altering the finish. Since one bolster is already mirrored, as you say, I don't think I'd (personally) be too worried about using the sandpaper to do the same to the other. Polishing the nickel with the sandpaper is very easy & fast, as the nickel is quite soft. It comes down to deciding if your priority is to keep the knife in 'original' (as found) condition, for collector value, or if you just want it to look relatively pristine again.

I'd bet that whichever it is, coated or pitted, at least SOME alteration of the finish will result, however you go about it. Especially if the polishing paste (Flitz) hasn't fixed the issue. That suggests to me, that something more aggressive is needed. I would've assumed Flitz would remove any varnish or other coating that might've been there. Most polishing pastes come with specific warnings about not using them on lacqered finishes for this reason (it removes the lacquer).
 
I put this cheap craft store white compound on a little piece of leather, wipe it on the bolsters. Works perfectly for me. Its not mirror but its shiny!
 
David, thanks for the detailed reply. I will take some pics and post them. It 's pretty tricky with the shiny reflections but I hope to capture the orange peel effect. I'll will probably take your advise, since as it is now, it bugs the he'll out of me.
 
DDS said:
David, thanks for the detailed reply. I will take some pics and post them. It 's pretty tricky with the shiny reflections but I hope to capture the orange peel effect. I'll will probably take your advise, since as it is now, it bugs the he'll out of me.
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That's never good, and it's what would motivate me to 'fix it' too, one way or the other. Whatever course you take to do it, just go about it gently. Don't let frustration drive you into forcing or rushing anything.

I'll look forward to seeing your pics. :thumbup:
 
David, I took the pics but am confused on how to post them. Surprisingly, when looking at the macro image you could easily see micro pits which gives the illusion of orange peel that I see. You sure can't feel anything rough obviously. On the other bolster I can see what appears to be stain with no porosity. If I figure out how to post after researching a bit, Ill do so.
 
hrbolsterpit-1.jpg
 
If you use a photo-hosting site, such as photobucket.com, to upload your pics to, you can insert a link to them in your post. Use the 'Insert Image' button at the top of the BF editor window, and you'll be given an option to insert the URL of your photo on the external site.

Edit: I see you've got the pic posted now. That definitely looks like it's into the nickel.

If you're already seeing evidence of pitting, I'd likely use the high-grit wet/dry sandpaper (3M/Norton brand, 1000+ grit) to smooth that out. A rubber eraser, such as the soft type used for drafting/drawing, makes a handy, flexible block to wrap the sandpaper around. I use a 'Magic Rub' eraser for this, it works well (I actually have a Hen & Rooster stockman that had the 'bolster treatment' done this way). The eraser is soft enough to do the job gently, evenly distributing pressure, which helps to reduce gouging/flat-spotting on the nickel (or brass). Keep all strokes in one direction; I'd likely go across the bolster (parallel to the seam between bolster and handle scale). You might tape the scales to protect them. The 1000 grit paper will likely produce at least the beginning of a mirror finish, and some 2000 grit would bring up a pretty nice shine. Polish with the Flitz and a CLEAN soft cloth after that, and it should be looking pretty again.
 
David, good tips, thanks! Ill let you know how it turns out. Would have never imagined (until you mentioned it) that it was pitting...not discernible to the naked eye. Besides the corrosion, it is a beautifully crafted slipjoint. This makes my 5th vintage H&R added to my collection. Would you happen to know what steel they used back then on these knives? 1095?

Dave
 
DDS said:
David, good tips, thanks! Ill let you know how it turns out. Would have never imagined (until you mentioned it) that it was pitting...not discernible to the naked eye. Besides the corrosion, it is a beautifully crafted slipjoint. This makes my 5th vintage H&R added to my collection. Would you happen to know what steel they used back then on these knives? 1095?

Dave
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As for the steel type on that one, I've no real idea. That would be a good question for the Traditional forum, I'd think. I've seen some relatively recent posts there, regarding some older H & R knives. At least a few folks there who'd be more enlightened on the details of the older ones.

I mentioned I had a H & R stockman, more recent vintage than yours, with stainless blades. Your pic reminded me, I sanded mine for essentially the same reason, it had a big ugly stain on one bolster (still don't know what it was), which wouldn't simply polish off. I sanded it with a slightly lower grit (something around 600 - 800, I think), which gave the bolsters a pretty attractive satin finish.
 
Sand the bolster with 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000 gritv wet/dry automotive paper. Then use Flitz to bring it to a mirror finish.
 
I'd view the 600/800 as overkill, for this one. The nickel bolsters are soft enough, and the apparent pitting shallow enough, I'd start no lower than 1000. Otherwise, you'll be stuck removing the 600/800 scratches, before finishing with the 1000/2000 & polish. Even if it takes a little more time with the 1000, no point in sanding too deep, if you don't need too.
 
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