process of solidly secure a guard w/ bolsters.

V

Vulcanite

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Jan 16, 2009
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Can someone please lay out a process for me to secure guards to a tang using bolsters.

Here is the process as best as I can figure it:
1. fit the guard to the radiused transition on the tang and mark the back of the guard on the tang.
2. hold the bolsters tightly behind the guard and scribe the tang
3. remove the guard, supreglue the bolsters back where they were marked but just slightly forward of the mark
4. drill pin holse through bolsters and tang
5. Grind bolsters to shape and profile
5. beat bolsters off tang, remove glue, deburr hole edges
6. put guard back on, put bolsters back on and slip pins in holes, remove material off of bolsters where they meet guard as necessary for a tight fit.
7. put knife on anvil and peen front bolster pins
8. put rear bolsters w/ super glue then w/ pins
9. fit handle scales b/t bolsters and pin.

Whaddaya think
 
When I want a bolster on a blade with a guard, I usually make it like this:

Make blade tang as a hidden tang style.
Fit guard to blade.
Solder guard to blade as normal with soft silver bearing solder ( use a soldering jig).
Clean up blade/guard.
Make sure pin/rivet hole(s) in tang is/are where you want it/them.
Make a frame style handle to fit the tang.
Fit the bolsters to the frame by bridging the open end of the frame. If there are butt end bolsters, install them,too.
Rivet bolsters on to frame and shape. Sand and polish.
File front of bolster to fit flush and square to the guard. The tang locking hole(s) should be centered in the frame cutout. ( this/these spot(s) was/were determined in the layout and drawing steps)
Tack one piece of handle material on frame with super glue and drill for all holes. Make sure blade/guard is tightly held in a handle assembly clamping jig when drilling the locking pin hole(s).
Install other scale and drill though all holes.
Remove scales and clean up all super glue.
If desired, soft solder the frame/bolsters to the guard/blade. Keep blade/guard and frame/bolsters in the clamping jig while soldering. Clean up solder joints.
Install handles and pins with epoxy ( this also locks the tang in the handle).
Do final shaping and sanding on handle and buff everything.


This should give you a rock solid handle with bolsters , a guard, pins, etc.



Another way is to make the bolster as a one piece slotted collar that fits on the stub tang and use a hidden tang handle (The collar is like a thick oval second guard shaped like the end of the handle). This can be one piece or a stack of pieces. These can be file worked,too.
You can also make it as a collar that fits over the end of the handle ( like a fucchi).
The blade/guard and bolster/collar is assembled just as one would a plain hidden tang knife, but there is the bolster between the handle material and the guard.
As in the above example, a good handle assembly clamp is essential for a good fit when gluing and pinning everything.
 
First off all, do you have a picture or a drawing of what your desired final result is? I'm not understanding why you're wanting to hold a guard in place with bolsters. You usually have a guard OR bolsters.

Second, you have more faith in superglue than I do. I drill holes through steel parts on their own, then superglue something to that and use the steel part with holes as the template.
 
I want a knife w/ a guard, the bolsters are just a means to an end.

This is for a knife made to be held in a reverse grip. The guard would be very wide, at least on one side, and would be a place for the blade of the hand to press against when driving the point in. Also, I want the edge of the knife to go all the way to the guard w/ no ricasso, so not bolster scales in front of the guard.

Blade, guard wedged tight against the radiuses where the handle tang meets the blade, something very strong holding the back of the guard.

Was thinking that multi pinned metal bolsters would hold the guard better than a slip over handle secured by a threaded pommel, twisted wires or cross pin near the butt. Probably do a slip over paper micarta handle on a hidden tang below the bolsters that secure the guard...

I couln't find any info on a handle assembly clamp. Any pics or links??

This is why I was asking in another thread whether it would be better to drill the pin holes w/ just a bit in the size of the pin stock, or to under drill the holes and then carefully ream them out to exact size for the pin stock. Wondering what way is going to give me the tightest fit under that guard.
 
Maybe the superglue will not be strong enough to hold the bolsters in place for drilling and or sanding... If not glue then how? I can't clamp the pieces together and then put it on the drill press table w/ vise grips or whatever holding it together. It wouldn't lay on the table...
 
A frame handle has a frame that sits around the stick tang on the blade.The frame becomes the tang for the handle. This allows a handle to be wider than the guard slot, or one with a shape you couldn't slide a guard over.
many of the stunning knives done by Bruce Bump, Nick Wheeler, and others have such handle construction.

These tutorials don't have bolsters, but you should get the idea.
http://beknivessite2.homestead.com/cokebottlehandle.html
http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?5634-Hidden-Tang-Step-by-Step

Here is someones alternate method. This is a super handle build, so please scroll through all three pages and see all the details in the finished handle:
http://www.knifenetwork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30504&page=1&pp=15
 
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A good book for basic handle styles is Joe Keeslar's ; Handles and Guards.

It shows the basics for bolsters, hidden tang, frame handles, quilion dagger handles, wire inlay and more.

With the ease of asking questions and getting immediate answers the value of books is often overlooked. If you plan to continue making knives it'd be worth every penny.
 
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