white metal and magnets

A

arty

Joined
Oct 18, 2003
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I have 3 villagers - A 12" Sirupati (no name or symbols on it), and two by Kumar - a 17" Sirupati and a 15 1/2" BAS. I checked the bolsters and but caps with a magnet.

On the 12" - none of the white metal attracted the magnet. No evidence of steel in this metal.

I checked the Kumar villagers - the bolsters are not steel, although the but caps are - for both of them.
 
Are you sure the buttcaps are steel, or could it just be that the magnet was attracted to the tang peened over the buttcap?
 
I thought of this, since the metal (diamond shape) near the peened end of the tang on the smaller, 12" Sirupati attracted the magnet.

There is a clear magnetic pull at the edge of the butcap, nowhere near the tang.
I am not certain that the metal is steel - it could be iron - but there is certainly iron in it.
 
If it looks like it could take a polish, it is nickel-silver. If you're feeling gutsy (and have a polishing cloth handy) put some mustard, or pickles, or onion, or oranges....etc. on it and let it tarnish it - if it tarnishes, it's nickel-silver.

If none of the above works, it's aluminum.
 
For the sake of argument.................

commonly
some stainless steels are non-magnetic, by degrees
nickel & some nickel alloys are magnetic, by degrees


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the only HI khuk I have that has white bolsters that I'm pretty sure is steel is the 12" AK Villager cause it had some light rust on it recently.
 
I don't think that it will be simple to figure out the composition of the bolsters, without some more help.
I do think that the but caps are steel on the Kumar knives.
I would certainly rather see steel than a soft aluminum.
I know that there are forms of aluminum that are tough and hard - and they are used in pistol frames.
That sort of metallurgy is unlikey in the workshops in Nepal.

I would be happy with steel fittings, given the nature of the knives.
 
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