Where the bolster meets the wood:question

happycat

happycat

Joined
Jun 21, 1999
Messages
752
Last night I was working on shaping and finishing a small knife with a nickle silver bolster and walnut handle. I got into this hellish cycle of getting a dip in the wood just where it meets the bolster. I'd file down the bolster, then when sanding out the file marks, inevitably I'd nick the damm would again and have to repeat....
I would love to hear how you guys deal with this issue (or avoid it alltogether!). Any advise is greatfully appreciated.
Thanks,
Ed
 
Im assuming this is a fixed blade. I frist grind the bolsters, make SURE the angle is a perfectly flat by grinding that edge on a disc sander using the table at 90 degrees. If its flat, I use a piece of glass to make sure its perfect.
Then take the wood and repeat, use a disc sander or glass and sandpaper and get it perfectly flat. Dont worry about height at this point, scales or bolster can be a bit thicker than the other. Just worry about where those meet. I usually finish the front edge of my bolsters, peen and attach....THEN i take my wood which has yet to be drilled for pins, and match the bolster. When i see no gaps anywhere, I superglue the scales to the tang and drill my pins. Pop the scales off, and the glue them on....now just grind/sand whichever is higher. I hope that is what you mean... If you try to match the height/curve of the top of the bolster to wood, youll never get them totally even. Grind the matching surface separate on the same grinder, same table, same angle....push the material against the disc or grinder BEFORE turning it on...its nearly impossible to put a piece on and take it off a moving belt without dipping one end or the other. Turn off the machine and dont take the piece off the belt till it stops turning. After that, attach both then sand them down together....
 
Ed,
If I understand your problem correctly...here is what I do.
Back your paper with some wood or micarta and sand both the bolster and wood together. Make sure you do NOT come off the bolster all the way onto the wood... go about half and half.
Hope that helps.
Mace

This is also what I do for pins....just dont come off the pin with the block.
 
Mace explained it perfectly. Thats exactly what I do. Obviously the wood will sand qucker and easier than the bolster material so you want to sand both of them at the same time using the bolster as a guide. By coming off the bolster you create that dip your talking about.

Shane
 
Ohhhhh I didnt understand the question...i thought he meant that he couldnt match the surfaces, not the actual height. I do the exact same thing as posted, and additionally, sand from bolster down to wood, not the other way around....if i go "sideways" i tend to get that dip...
 
Thanks guys. I'll give it a shot and post it when I'm done monkying with it. I figured that was probably the way to go, but was getting into trying to take the bolster down (right at the very edge) without hitting the wood, and even when I thought I stayed off the wood, there'd be that little dip again.
Thanks again,
Ed
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top