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Post: How-To Pin And Soldering Guards And Bolsters -- Part I (Topic#770678)

BruceJensky
Master Member KnifeNut!

Loc: Yorktown, VA
Reg: 02-04-05

06-19-06 08:35.48 - Post#961450

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This “How-To�? on Pining And Soldering Guards And Bolsters. It will be posted in three-parts because I have numerous photographs. Since there is a 5-photo limit per posting and I don’t want the folks who have a slow Web connection (56Kb or less…) to wait forever to see the posting, each posting will be a separate post and not a “reply to myself…�? I hope that makes sense, I know what it means, I hope you do…

‘Nuff of that…

This is how I pin and solder my guards and bolsters on my knives. There are other methods and all are good, the best method is what works best for you.

Photo 1 show almost all the necessary items to pin a guard. I did not show my hammer or anvil…

     The knife has been cleaned up with 600 grit sand paper in the solder location and washed down with acetone…

     The guard (brass) has also had a light sanding and with an acetone bath…

     The brass pin is 1/4�? longer than the width of the guard (at the pin hole), I want 1/8�? of brass pin sticking out both sides of the guard. All of my pins are semi-pointed, not blunt. The point receives the initial hammer strike causing the sides of the pin to swell and fill any voids in the pin/hole and then the pin forms a rivet head shape. Additionally, I have annealed the brass pin, heated to a light red color and dropped into a tin of water so that it cools quickly (I can’t explain why “quick cooling�? hardens steel, but soften brass). Then I chuck it into my drill and spin it, wrapped in 400 grit sandpaper to clean off the oxidation. While the pin is in the drill, I touch a file to the ends to sharpen them at about a 45 degree angle…

     The 1/8�? washer is used to allow the pin to “float�? in the guard while I flatten the top.

     The automatic center punch is a fun toy I like to use, just because I can…

Photo 2 shows the knife with the guard installed, pin in place (on the washer), with a scrap piece of brass under the handle to hold the knife straight while I am hammering the pin flat. I am using an anvil to work upon, but you can use the anvil part of a vice or any other hard, flat surface that will not bounce around (don’t use apiece of scrap steel on your work bench would, it’ll dance around like Fred Astaire…). You could even use the side of a hammer, laid down on your driveway or sidewalk (just put your foot on the hammer handle to keep the hammer from walking around as you hammer…).

Now, the tricky part, you need to remember that you are hammering a soften piece of metal and it’s only 1/8�? in diameter, you are not driving a spike into the framing of your house, a 1-pound ball peen hammer works just fine… Tap the pin several times, you just want to cause the end to form a rivet-like head, not drive it into the guard. If you hit the pin too hard or too many times, the pin will continue to be driven into the guard, causing the guard to swell around the drill hole and then you’ll have a devil of a time sanding out the bulge…

After I have hammered the pin into a rivet head, I then give the “coup de grace�? and use the automatic center punch. That gives it that last little punch in the center to ensure the end of the pin is swelled up. It’s not necessary, but it’s fun… If you do not have an automatic center punch, do not use a drift-type center punch, chances are the knife will rock and the punch will slip off the pin and dig into your guard (that’s not fun…).

Now turn the knife over, put your washer in a safe place (it’s not needed anymore on this knife) and hammer the other side, once again, using the same technique and give it a “coup de grace�? just because you can…

Photo 3 shows the finished pinning. I usually make several knives of the same pattern at the same time. I’ve posted this before, I like to make “Father--Son�? sets, where I might get someone to buy two knives, one for themselves, and one for their child or spouse…

The top knife is 3/16�? steel while the bottom blade is 1/8�?. Other than the width/weight, all other factors are the same: shape, length, handle material, file art, etc… (not only are my handle scales matched sets, the two different knives have similar grain patterns…).

Also, note the numbers on the knives, I number the knives during the construction process so I do not confuse the pieces (remember, one blade is 1/16�? thicker, therefore, the pin is 1/16�? longer. I keep all the individual pieces in different containers so I’m not trying to fit a guard onto the wrong knife… I’m kind of anal that way…

You can see two views of the flattened pins, one from the top and one from the side, you can see a slight shiny bevel to the rivet head. This is the bevel from the sharpened pin. So you can tell I did not smash the pin, all I did was flatten the tip of the pin…

Now, onto the soldering…

For a knife to be truly “handmade," the knife must be held to the tool or the tool must be held to the knife during its making… if it’s a “hands-off" operation, it ain’t handmade…

Roadfish
Master Member KnifeNut!

Loc: The Lauragais
Reg: 11-29-99

06-20-06 04:26.43 - Post#962083
In response to BruceJensky

Bruce - do you mill the guard slot into the brass, or drill and file or? And do you ever peen the front edge of the brass guard slot and re-sand for final fit?

"Roadfish"

Jerzee Devil

BruceJensky
Master Member KnifeNut!

Loc: Yorktown, VA
Reg: 02-04-05

06-20-06 16:55.03 - Post#962677
In response to Roadfish

Ron,

I have a Unimat lathe with a milling attachment. I mill my guard slots with about 0.004 clearance, I try not to get it too close as I want adequate room for the solder to flow between the guard and blade.

If the solder can’t get in due to the snugness (that also why I do not smash the pin in place), only the flux can get in and it may find a way to weep out later and eat into the knife finish later on.

I don’t understand the “peening question.�? Do you mean, tap the open end of the guard to close the gap slightly? If so, yeah maybe, if the blade is not exactly perfect. But I work hard to keep everything lined up, because a bunch of little adjustments get you the leaning “blade�? of Pisa…

Hope this explains it…

Bruce

For a knife to be truly “handmade," the knife must be held to the tool or the tool must be held to the knife during its making… if it’s a “hands-off" operation, it ain’t handmade…

Roadfish
Master Member KnifeNut!

Loc: The Lauragais
Reg: 11-29-99

06-21-06 00:49.02 - Post#962958
In response to BruceJensky

I mean hammering the front edge of the guard opening to spread a bit of the brass, thus making the opening narrower, then resurfacing the front.

"Roadfish"

Jerzee Devil

BruceJensky
Master Member KnifeNut!

Loc: Yorktown, VA
Reg: 02-04-05

06-21-06 04:54.49 - Post#963009
In response to Roadfish

Ron,

I believe that process is called “neuraling�? (but watch my spelling…).

For example, if you hammer a washer, the washer will become thinner, but the outside diameter will become larger, and the hole diameter will become smaller.

No, I do not need to do this. As I said, I work real hard to get everything set up right and since I am milling the slot, it’s run out can be as accurate as 0.0001 (one-ten-thousandth). In fact, the “gap�? is so small, you can not slip a piece of bond paper into it.

But if the flats of the blade are off or you had to drill and file the hole or slot, I can see where this would be necessary.

Bruce

For a knife to be truly “handmade," the knife must be held to the tool or the tool must be held to the knife during its making… if it’s a “hands-off" operation, it ain’t handmade…

son_of_bluegrass
Journeyman KnifeNut!

Loc: ks/tx
Reg: 01-04-04

06-22-06 18:22.34 - Post#964496
In response to BruceJensky

I think this tutorial in all parts is worthy of being pinned to the top. (so when I need it i won't have to go hunting)

Anyone else.

ron

Our government is heading us towards armed rebellion by it's actions.

"If you stare too long into the abyss, the abyss stares back into you. " Nietzche

http://www.geocities.com/son_of_bluegrass/

Woodlander
Master Member KnifeNut!

Loc: Canada
Reg: 11-11-04

06-22-06 20:17.56 - Post#964594
In response to son_of_bluegrass

Quote:

I think this tutorial in all parts is worthy of being pinned to the top. (so when I need it i won't have to go hunting)

Anyone else.

I do agree.

mack1
Master Member KnifeNut!
mack1

Loc: Cowlesville(Buffalo), NY
Reg: 03-16-06

06-17-07 19:31.16 - Post#1253673
In response to Woodlander

Woodlander Said:

Quote:

I think this tutorial in all parts is worthy of being pinned to the top. (so when I need it i won't have to go hunting)

Anyone else.

I do agree.

Got my agreement, too!

Tryin' to hold a train of thought, but it departed.

Nothing new under the sun for me.

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Location: Main Index » Forum Index » Designing, Making, Maintaining and Showing Off Our Knives » The Newbies Forum » How-To Pin And Soldering Guards And Bolsters -- Part I

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