Soldering question

[Doug Lester]

I've just soldered my first guard onto a blade and I need some pointers on how to finish the joint so that it doesn't stand out quit so much. I don't have a lot of build-up around the joint; I use a popsycle stick to wipe off the excess before it hardened real good. I've got a couple of stray spots on the guard but I figure that they can be polished off. What my problem is is that the solder is brigth and shiney and it stands out against the satin finish on the blade. Is there a way to make this joint less noticable?

Doug Lester

[Ray Rogers]

I don't use solder so I didn't try to answer earlier but since you haven't gotten any responses I figured I'd throw in what I could.

As you probably know, there are many types of solder and they are all pretty shiny. The appearance will dull over time due to oxidation but I don't know of any way to speed it up. Generally, the shiny appearance isn't a problem for knifemakers who use solder because if the guard is fitted tight enough there is almost no solder visible. Even those of us who use JB Weld instead of solder need to fit the guards tightly so that only a very thin line of JB shows because, even though it isn't shiny, it isn't the same color as most steel either. A light sand blasting might help dull the solder and make it look more like the satin finish on the blade. Harbor Freight sells a little air brush blaster that I have used for spot work, it's cheap and works well.

That's the best I can tell you: fit the guard so well that only a very thin line of solder can be seen. If the solder is well matched to the steels you use it should be pretty hard to spot at a casual glance.....

[CWKnifeman]

Try a little acetic acid (lemon juice) 50/50 with tap water, as this will speed up the oxidation process. Use Q-Tips to apply and mask off the other areas with scotch tape of clear packing tape. Make sure to dip into a baking soda solution to stop the acid from going farther. Clean with water. Using this method should not take long to do.

Normally with a close fitting solderd joint even having a hand finished blade and guard/bolster the bright area will not show that much.
Curtis

[kvistads]

Doug:

I used solder during my first years of building but soon discovered JB Weld as Ray was referring to. I really like JB Weld because of it being slow to dry. With JB you can clamp the knife in your vice and manipulate the guard to position until dry. Once it sets up hard enough to hold the guard but soft enough to cut, you can clean the joint with a razor blade, acetone and Q-tip. I've never considered going back to solder since. Good luck.

[Doug Lester]

Hummm, I say there hummm. I just so happen to have a tube of JB Weld in my drawer. I'm going to have to give it a try. The joint did clean up with sand paper but I'm all into anything that is just as good but easier.

Doug Lester

[argel55]

Doug I use a piece of brass rod that I have sharpened into a chisel point. You can cut the solder off of the joint with out scratching the blade or guard material. Make sure to run it down the blade flat and the guard flat both. you can virtually take all of the solder off then I use a cratex round wheel which has the edge and drag it down the joint to polish it.