Why Not Silver Solder??

L6steel

L6steel

Joined
Sep 23, 1999
Messages
5,855
I was just wondering why so many makers don't want to silver solder their guards? It's not hard to do and it sure isn't expensive, so I don't get it. I have always looked at a handmade knife with a nice clean smooth soldered joint as a sign of the maker's craftsmanship. Take care! Michael

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"Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!"
 
I agree with you Michael. It really looks professional if it is done right and also keeps blood and other fluids out from under the guard, and on carbon steel that helps to prevent rust from forming where we can't see it.

Marcel

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Michael, I also solder every guard I put on. I think it just looks better and its better then drilling holes for pins and less hassle getting a good fit.

Jake
 
Personally, I like to braze my guards on when I'm working on a thicker blade. I has a smooth flow from the blade to the guard. Brazing does have it's downsides, like porosity that is not visible 'till your almost finshed smoothing down. Darrel Ralph gave me some pointers on soldering guards a few months back 'cause I had problems with the heat running up my blade. His suggestions did work and I have soldered a few guards since with great results. Bottom line is, I would rather own a knife that has brazed or soldered guards and think my customers would too.



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"Boy, if ya don't screw up once in a while, ya ain't learnin' nuthin'" - An old cowboy
 
I guess I must be a little strange! I both pin and solder my bolsters. On narrow guards, I usually just solder. I think it makes for a lot nicer knife when you can keep blood and junk from under the handle. I mostly use brass for bolsters and guards and the soldered joint cleans up easily by using an old screwdriver with a "knife" edge to gouge it out. Just sharpen the screwdriver like you would a chisel. And only use this method when soldering on the guard while the blade is still in it's rough stages. I usually attach guards and bolsters after cleaning up heat treat scale with a 36 grit belt.

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Craig Blankenship
Blankenship Knives
http://www.blankenship-knives.com
 
Bob Sky told me almost everthing I know about soldering is is fairly easy if you have a very small gap to fill ,but if not
it is plenty tough .

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TbarK Custom Knives
http://vip.hpnc.com/~tbark Therefore I erge you brother's in view of God's Mercy to offer your body's as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship Romans 12-1
 
Is there anyone else that likes to press fit the guards out there? I am not talking about a sloppy press fit, I mean an extremely accurate and tight fit with the pressure of the slabs pushing against the well fitted guard making it even more secure. To me, that shows quality craftsmanship, and if done right, there is no way that the guard is going to loosen up. Am I just strange or what
smile.gif


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C.O.'s-"It takes balls to work behind the walls "
 
press fit is good....until you have to use it...it wont stop blood or sweat or salt water...and that rust creeping out of that hair line crack wont make you feel good about how well the guy stuck the knife together....trust me....been there....

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http://www.mayoknives.com


 
All I've ever done are solder joints. Followed loveless's advice in his book, works great as long as the joint is tight to begin with. Just recently tried Thermotrap, "great stuff". When I get the time I'd like to try brazing the guards on also.

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The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.
 
The question is not clear. By "silver solder", do you mean instead silver bearing braze? I do not recommend brazing any part of a knife near the blade or edge. The high temperature will assuredly weaken the temper. If you mean low temperature solder, this is the most acceptable. You must make an impermeable joint for logevity's sake.
 
Seems like people are missing the word "silver" in the soldering description. Silver solder is much stronger than tin/lead/antimony solder. It seams like a particularly good idea to me. One issue that I see is posible corrosion of the guard due to dissimilar metals in contact (galavanic effect).

If you are dealing with a stainless blade you can have a lot of trouble getting a good solder bond. I suppose the right flux would help, but high chromium alloys are hard to solder. Maybe other makers drifted away from using solder when they switched to stainless blades. You might find you fill the gap with solder and don't get as strong a bond as you expect.
 
The absolute BEST silver solderer(?) that I have ever seen in my life is my good friend Tony Aiken. This guy is almost magical and it just comes natural. He really makes it look easy. No pits, no gaps, hardly any clean up. Oh, and by the way, he has absolutely no problem soldering a 303 stainless guard to 440C! Ask the folks at Texas Knifemakers!

C Wilkins
 
Jeff, I had trouble getting a good solder joint on stainless till I switched to liquid flux and Kit Carson's soldering method.
Thanks for the replies to my question Forumites!!! Take care! Michael

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"Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!"
 
Somebody hit it right on the head. Soldering brass to OCS or 5160 is no prob, did it all the time. Soldering 416 to 440c... forget it. JB Weld is so much simpler that the loss of shear strength and temperature sensitivity of the epoxy is justified to me. After all, if you pin a good tight fit, all the solder or epoxy is there for is a moisture seal.

James

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Those who are willing to trade freedom for security deserve neither, and in the end, seldom retain them!
 
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