Solder vs. Epoxy for pinned SS bolster

D

DARblades

Joined
Mar 6, 2019
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I have a few W2 full tang blades that I plan on adding some 416 SS bolsters with 1/8" mosaic pins. What are the benefits of solder over epoxy? I have never soldered bolsters before but I'm thinking with SS it might fill in any gaps between the tang and the bolster. Appreciate your thoughts!
 
Epoxy will seal bolster so no chance for rust under them ..of course if it is carbon steel blade .I use it even I peen pins , no harm just little mess :D
 
I am debating this myself. Have tried soldering on a couple blades ... and my biggest concern is clean up of residual solder around the front and back of the blade. You need to use a file, and that either does, or risks, scratching the finished blade surface. Epoxy (though i have not done this yet) is apparently very easy to get clean with a q-tip and alcohol (prior to setting of course). I talked to Horeswright about this, and he says he uses epoxy (JB Weld?), and has had no problems with it (and also says he has had soldered bolsters fail in the past). Based on that, My next attempts will definitely be with epoxy.

He also says he peens his mosaic pins, which i am still confused about ... but perhaps i misunderstood. Maybe Dave you can clarify that point here?
 
You can use Loctite speedbonder 324 and activator 7649 to adhere the pieces then pin.

There is no clean up either
 
Cushing H. said:
I am debating this myself. Have tried soldering on a couple blades ... and my biggest concern is clean up of residual solder around the front and back of the blade. You need to use a file, and that either does, or risks, scratching the finished blade surface. Epoxy (though i have not done this yet) is apparently very easy to get clean with a q-tip and alcohol (prior to setting of course). I talked to Horeswright about this, and he says he uses epoxy (JB Weld?), and has had no problems with it (and also says he has had soldered bolsters fail in the past). Based on that, My next attempts will definitely be with epoxy.

He also says he peens his mosaic pins, which i am still confused about ... but perhaps i misunderstood. Maybe Dave you can clarify that point here?
Click to expand...


No I peen them all the time. Before I started to I too had heard that you couldn't, thats just not so. I use to solder my bolsters years ago and was very good at it, probably done a couple thousand. I'd do forty or fifty at a time, kinda got a flow going (sorry, bad solder pun). But I did have two failures and they were soldered very well as well as having peened pins. Now many of my knives go to guys that are very hard on stuff. Some of these guys could break a tank from the outside with the hatches down. Somewhere, sometime I read in these pages about using epoxy (JB Weld) and gave it a try. I have now done thousands that way and have never had a failure. I taper all my pin holes so the peened mosaic pins are a rivet too so to speak. I went to the mosaic pins because it drove me absolutely bat poop crazy that sometimes no matter how hard ya tried or how good ya were ya could still see the pins in the bolster, !#@$%&*(%^%^&$##$. So I did a complete if ya can't beat em join kind of a deal with the mosaics. Hope this helps:

4gAgDxP.jpg


uYDD2Kt.jpg


Couple from the last batch of 30 odd I finished last week.
 
argel55 said:
Cushing H you need to make you a chisel from brass to scrape the excess solder away. It will cut and push solder with out scratching blade or bolster material. Sanding will be very minimal after that.
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Cool. Thank you for the hint!
 
Horsewright Horsewright awesome! Is there a reason you use JB Weld for your bolsters over an epoxy like G-Flex? Do you use a different epoxy on your handle scales than on the bolsters?

How much and how deep do you taper your pin holes in your bolster? What do you use to do this?

Those knives are as phenomenal as always!
 
Horsewright, i am with you: i really like the look of the contrasting mosaics in the bolsters (just picked up some to accomplish just that in a skinner).

As said before - man, you are a knife making machine!
 
J. Keeton said:
Is there a reason you use JB Weld for your bolsters over an epoxy like G-Flex?
Click to expand...
I am curious what horsewright will say to this, but would like to comment that the longer cure time for cross linked adhesives in general, the stronger the bond. For a bolster i would be tempted to go with something in excess of the 30 minute set time ... but in a production environment that be too long a process time (30 minutes to set, but really something like 24 hours or more to completely cure and harden...)
 
Horsewright said:
No I peen them all the time. Before I started to I too had heard that you couldn't, thats just not so. I use to solder my bolsters years ago and was very good at it, probably done a couple thousand. I'd do forty or fifty at a time, kinda got a flow going (sorry, bad solder pun). But I did have two failures and they were soldered very well as well as having peened pins. Now many of my knives go to guys that are very hard on stuff. Some of these guys could break a tank from the outside with the hatches down. Somewhere, sometime I read in these pages about using epoxy (JB Weld) and gave it a try. I have now done thousands that way and have never had a failure. I taper all my pin holes so the peened mosaic pins are a rivet too so to speak. I went to the mosaic pins because it drove me absolutely bat poop crazy that sometimes no matter how hard ya tried or how good ya were ya could still see the pins in the bolster, !#@$%&*(%^%^&$##$. So I did a complete if ya can't beat em join kind of a deal with the mosaics. Hope this helps:

4gAgDxP.jpg


uYDD2Kt.jpg


Couple from the last batch of 30 odd I finished last week.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the input. I'm going to go with the jb weld technique. I am intrigued about the peening of mosaic pins. Would you mind explaining in more detail how you go about this without disturbing the design?
 
AVigil said:
You can use Loctite speedbonder 324 and activator 7649 to adhere the pieces then pin.

There is no clean up either
Click to expand...

I always wondered about something like that. Would I be cracking the bond if I peened after?

J. Keeton said:
Horsewright Horsewright awesome! Is there a reason you use JB Weld for your bolsters over an epoxy like G-Flex? Do you use a different epoxy on your handle scales than on the bolsters?

How much and how deep do you taper your pin holes in your bolster? What do you use to do this?

Those knives are as phenomenal as always!
Click to expand...

Thanks. Clean up with JB Weld is easy just a Q tip with WD 40. Its what was suggested when I heard about it all those knives ago. I would think, having used a couple of boat loads of Gflex on handles that it is too watery. I like the paste consistency of the JB Weld Kinda gets in there and stays put, not gonna drip away while drying. These days I use the clear Gorilla glue on handles, tremendous bond. I use to use a carbide tapered reamer and did for years. Then I broke like 3 in one day and they are pretty spendy little guys. Stuck a tapered punch in the hole and smacked it with a hammer. Voila. Still using the same punch 10 years later. I'd estimate the taper extends about 1/2 the thickness of the bolster (I use 1/4" stock for bolsters). Works on brass, nickel silver, sterling silver, copper and stainless, least thats what I've used it on.

AVigil said:
JB weld is made for steel, G flex is not.
Click to expand...

Thats a good point.

Cushing H. said:
I am curious what horsewright will say to this, but would like to comment that the longer cure time for cross linked adhesives in general, the stronger the bond. For a bolster i would be tempted to go with something in excess of the 30 minute set time ... but in a production environment that be too long a process time (30 minutes to set, but really something like 24 hours or more to completely cure and harden...)
Click to expand...

Thats above my pay grade. I'm just a pretty good cowboy that makes knives.

Owp9fkE.jpg
 
DARblades said:
Thanks for all the input. I'm going to go with the jb weld technique. I am intrigued about the peening of mosaic pins. Would you mind explaining in more detail how you go about this without disturbing the design?
Click to expand...

I really just smack em with a hammer like everybody else does. Of course you deform the top but you are grinding the bolster down some anyhoo to blend handle and bolster and to get all hammer marks out and you still have the taper If you don't go really thin which I don't. Really does work
 
Cushing H. said:
Horsewright, i am with you: i really like the look of the contrasting mosaics in the bolsters (just picked up some to accomplish just that in a skinner).

As said before - man, you are a knife making machine!
Click to expand...
Thanks. profiled 37 yesterday and did the finish grinding post ht and etching of the damascus ones on another 35 day before. keeps me out of the bars. Oh and two big boxes came in from AKS yesterday too...... Oh and about another 70 in a box under the bench already back from ht. My brother calls it the never ending conveyor belt. I like to think of it as a hamster on a wheel. Sometimes its a beech being a hamster. Like two days ago I said oh look my finger is on fire. No just the glove dunk it in water stupid. Do kinda have a blister there though.
 
Horsewright Horsewright

You can beat on it with a hammer with no ill effects. It is super strong and made for dissimilar materials. It is ready to go in 3-5 minutes.

Just wipe off the ooze, that does not harden at all.

Just keep it cool in storage. The 100 degree temps will ruin it in the bottle.
 
AVigil said:
Horsewright Horsewright

You can beat on it with a hammer with no ill effects. It is super strong and made for dissimilar materials. It is ready to go in 3-5 minutes.

Just wipe off the ooze, that does not harden at all.

Just keep it cool in storage. The 100 degree temps will ruin it in the bottle.
Click to expand...

Thanks buddy. Think it would work when you're doing 30 to 50 at a time one right after the other?
 
Horsewright Horsewright

Yep, you can put on the primer on one side and let it dry and it can even be up to 30 days later.

Apply the 324 to the other side and press together and hold for about 3 minutes and it is done.

Speed bonder 324 gives you a few minutes , 325 and 326 I think you only have 1 minute.
 
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