Installing bolsters

[chall]

Can bolsters be pinned and epoxied in place? Will this method hold up over time? Any advice will be appreciated.

[pipecrafter]

Yes. Use a good, high quality epoxy like JB Weld. I have found that your typical 5 and 15 minute epoxies won't hold up to the heat of grinding (even with repeated dunks in water), and tend to degrade over time.

Pins are your mechanical bond, and the epoxy will function as a sealer to keep water and other stuff out from under them.

[Gary Mulkey]

I'm not sure of your level of knife making but am guessing that you are new to attaching bolsters. If so, remember that you need to expand the outside of the pin holes so you can peen the pins and establish a mechanical bond. You can either use a tapered reamer or drill partway with an oversized drill bit (I use one approx. .020" over).

Gary

[Brett Schaller]

The problem with using epoxy is that you will always have a thin, visible line between the bolsters and blade, due to the thickness of the epoxy layer. Get your blade and bolsters absolutely flat, and pins are all you need.

[graveyard]

just my thought dry fit the bolsters with the handle as if its already finished thats beter than have one part on &the others a lettle off

[CWKnifeman]

Here is a method that I have used for years. It can be done with either JB Weld or solder. I use this method mainly if I use Damascus for the bolsters, or if I am going to engrave the bolsters. I use hidden pins; this can be done with either screws taped into the blade tang or with straight pins. If you are using pins drill to approximately 60% of the thickness of the bolster from the inside into the bolster. do this for both bolsters. Cut the pin length the thickness of the blade tang plus the depth of both holes.
Note: For larger bolsters I will use three (3) to four hidden pins. If you are goung to use screws, then tap the blade tang and drill for clearance of the thread into the bolster. once this is done you can usr try pins or screws to do the final profile of the bolsters togather as a true set. As I said you can either use JB Weld or silver solder to complete the weld. If you are using JB Weld fill the holes and coat the inside of the bolster area, then clamp until it has setup; If you are going to use solder then apply flux to the inside of the bolsters and once the color changes to a light honey to molasis coat the whole inside of the bolster with silver solder. Now for the final fitup wrap the blade in wet paper towels, or coat it in cool-tool gel. Clamp the blade tang into a vice, and us a torch to heat the bolster/solder to where it starte to flow. Once the solder starts to flow clamp with a large pair of plyers or clamps that can be placed onto the bolsters quickly. Allow to cool and clean uthe excess with a Brass rod or square made into a graver with a 40 to 45 degree angle to remove the excess.
The solder will not come apart unless the whole are is heated to above 300+ degrees.
As I said, I have been using this for a long time, and have not had a failure yet.
This method also means that as an engraver I will have an unobstructed bolster area to do the engraving on.
Curtis

[D. Douglas Suth]

Curtis, That is a good idea. I have hit pins engraving that were much harder and pow! There goes your graver point. I will have to try that on a few when i get in to making some knives. Doug

[Northwest29]

When you suggest using JB Weld I assume that you are talking about the 2 part epoxy product that results in a dark gray epoxy mix? If not, does JB Weld make a clear 2 part epoxy product?

[CWKnifeman]

Yes that is what we are talking about. And no they do not make a claear JB weld.
Curtis