White Metal Fittings

K

KnifeFury

Joined
Sep 21, 2006
Messages
752
I really like the look of the White Metal Fittings on the deals of the day.

I was curious, what exactly is white metal? Is it stainless steel, nickle silver, aluminum, chromed metal, etc...?

Thanks for the help.
 
spiraltwista said:
odds are its Nickel silver {white brass.] in most cases.It works easier than the other options.

Spiral
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I have a few Randalls on order and was surprised on how much more the Nickle-Silver butt option was over the Duraluminum butt. I had heard that was because the Nickle-silver was harder to work with.
 
I'm guessing nickel silver as well. My guess would be that it is easier to work with as opposed to actual steel. I have a few khuks that have real steel bolsters that you can tell that they are THICK compared to brass or white metal.

White metal is a good compromise to steel furniture if you don't like brass. It polishes up brightly. However, you don't get the rust/patina issues with white metal like steel is prone to without care (veggie/meat juices and hand sweat, etc). Just buff it with a brass polish and it pops back to BLING:D

IMHO, there still isn't anything quite like actual steel bolsters and butt caps/keepers. My very first khuk, a villager model bu Kumar, has them as does my special run YCS and my Kerambit. Personal preference as always:) White metal is my second favorite...but I've never turned a khuk down because of brass either;):D
 
From Wikipedia:
"The white metals are any of several light-colored alloys used as a base for plated silverware, ornaments or novelties, as well as any of several lead-base or tin-base alloys used for things like bearings, jewellery, miniature figures, fusible plugs, some medals and metal type.

Some of the metals that make up a white metal alloy are antimony, tin, lead, cadmium, bismuth, and zinc. Not all of these metals are found in all white metal alloys but are mixed to achieve a desired goal or need."
 
KnifeFury said:
I have a few Randalls on order and was surprised on how much more the Nickle-Silver butt option was over the Duraluminum butt. I had heard that was because the Nickle-silver was harder to work with.
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Kamis dont currently work bolsters in duraluminium. So it wasnt an option. ;)

Leads easier to work than Nickle silver,,but they dont make bolsters that way either.

white metal can be nearly anything, Nickle silver is more specfic type of white metal.. Basicaly a form of white brass.



Spiral
 
tjarlz said:
The Yuvraj YR-1 has an aluminum bolster;

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=458889

I snagged this back in March and I've only seen one other similar knife.
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mmm I didnt see that, I learn something, thankyou.;)

But its not a kukri. :D & perhaps quite possibly not Aluminium, I would think? It was sold as White metal.

How have you identified it compared to Zinc alloys, Nickle silver alloys etc.?

Spiral
 
Well mostly I can tell by eye if to hand, If find a metal I am not sure I used to go & see an old fashioned tool maker/Engineer who lives near me. Unfourtunatly he has retired know.

If it was a whole handle its easy to tell, most zinc alloys wiegh about 3 times what most Aluminium alloys do & are harder.

Harder to tell on just a little slab in amongst a weighty construction.

Nicel silver has a higher lustre if polished that last longer, people often mistake it for silver or sometimes stainless steel, although actualy the colour is different.

If you have identified samples of differnt metals, hardness or reaction to weak acid helps identify them, but if you havent got true samples youve got nothing to compare to.

Spiral
 
Well Spiral, I've worked with aluminum in aircraft for nearly 30 years and am reasonably confident in calling this aluminum, IMHO. I could alodine it, but I don't think "cat pee yellow" bolsters would look particularly pleasing on this knife.

Charles
 
The white metal that Sgt. Khadka uses is slightly yellow when compared to steel or pure nickel. It still has the slightly creamy color of nickel, too. By appearance, it would seem to be largely nickel with a twinge of brass. Zinc content can affect color in different ways, so it's hard to judge that.
 
tjarlz said:
Well Spiral, I've worked with aluminum in aircraft for nearly 30 years and am reasonably confident in calling this aluminum, IMHO. I could alodine it, but I don't think "cat pee yellow" bolsters would look particularly pleasing on this knife.

Charles
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Well you could have stated that , when I first asked.;)

Instead of choosing to cheerfully wasting my time. :rolleyes:

Spiral
 
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