Why is the center pin made of nickel silver?

kamagong

kamagong

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I just ordered a Case/Bose annual collaboration. I was under the impression that the metal fittings were all stainless steel, but this picture indicates otherwise.

sextant said:
View attachment 1650017
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Note the telltale bit of green verdigris on the edges of the center pin. Why wasn't stainless steel used for that component like everything else?
 
My Norfolk has a BRASS centre pin which is odd as the rest of the construction is all stainless. Never understood why except that the centre pin is domed the others flush.

It's the Curse of Verdigris :eek: Fortunately, it's containable as the scope for spreading is limited, rub down with a micro-cloth etc. Perhaps we can never really escape brass....:D
 
Not exactly on topic with this maker but I’ve never understood the brass liners and pins with nickel silver bolsters, the ocd part of me wants it all matchy matchy
 
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kamagong said:
I just ordered a Case/Bose annual collaboration. I was under the impression that the metal fittings were all stainless steel, but this picture indicates otherwise.



Note the telltale bit of green verdigris on the edges of the center pin. Why wasn't stainless steel used for that component like everything else?
Click to expand...
It's really difficult to spin stainless pins. You need hardened spinners that still wear down quickly, and you have to apply a LOT more pressure to forge that head. This results in a lot of heat that could scorch the covers as well as a good chance of slippage or twist which would ruin the knife with the pressure involved. Nickel silver is much better for that application.

Eric
 
Stainless steel work hardens during machining and forging operations...... It will get so hard it will defy virtually every effort to machine or forge it....... Don't ever let a drill dwell in a hole you are trying to drill in stainless......
 
All I know is brass liners and pins make for a buttery smooth action, with little or no rusting (at least, where the blade steel touches the brass.)
 
ea42 said:
It's really difficult to spin stainless pins. You need hardened spinners that still wear down quickly, and you have to apply a LOT more pressure to forge that head. This results in a lot of heat that could scorch the covers as well as a good chance of slippage or twist which would ruin the knife with the pressure involved. Nickel silver is much better for that application.
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I could be completely wrong, but the pins on all my Bucks sure look like SS to me.

I know some nickel silvers are better / different than others, but none of them have that faint gold-ish color like silver.
They completely look like stainless steel to me, just as they did the day I bought them and haven't changed over years if use and handling.

I have a Case 310L mini executive, it's stainless steel with NS pins and the difference between the two metals is night and day.
 
BDubbs said:
Not exactly on topic with this maker but I’ve never understood the brass liners and pins with nickel silver bolsters, the ocd part of me wants it all matchy matchy
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It’s matchy. You just got your yellow brass and your white brass.
 
Hickory n steel said:
I could be completely wrong, but the pins on all my Bucks sure look like SS to me.

I know some nickel silvers are better / different than others, but none of them have that faint gold-ish color like silver.
They completely look like stainless steel to me, just as they did the day I bought them and haven't changed over years if use and handling.

I have a Case 310L mini executive, it's stainless steel with NS pins and the difference between the two metals is night and day.
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Easy test. Get a strong (rare earth) magnet. Hardenable stainless (400 series) will be strongly attracted to the magnet. Non-hardenable stainless (300 series) will be weakly attracted to the magnet. “Nickel Silver” exhibits no Ferro magnetism (attraction to a magnet).
 
tiguy7 said:
Easy test. Get a strong (rare earth) magnet. Hardenable stainless (400 series) will be strongly attracted to the magnet. Non-hardenable stainless (300 series) will be weakly attracted to the magnet. “Nickel Silver” exhibits no Ferro magnetism (attraction to a magnet).
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The whole area attracts a magnet because the lockbar is there.
 
tiguy7 said:
Contact Buck and ask them.
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Information was found stating that Buck switched to an SS rocker pin on the 110 in the early 70's, I was already pretty sure they had to be SS because I know what the two materials look like but didn't want to say something wrong.
 
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In this picture the pins look like SS to me and I am betting that the green is just polishing compound.

I don't know what it takes to spin a head onto an SS pin ( even the softest stuff ), but it's not hard to find SS pivot pins on knives that aren't expensive.
Maybe it's not so cost effective to do it on the smaller scale of these Bose knives, but It seems to me that they definitely could an they sure look like SS to me.
 
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Brass, yellow too not NS, fails the magnet test

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Ferrous metal, passes the magnet test
 
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