Are knife makers still putting steel bolsters on their knives?

My view of it is that mid range knives are using less and less metal bolsters, while higher end knives are using more and more integrals. Over all there seems to be a general trend away from brass/ nickle silver or steel bolsters and towards either wood/ synthetic ones for mid tier knives and forged integrals for high tier ones.
 
I put 416 bolsters on a kitchen knife with ironwood scales. I dovetailed them too. I learned that it takes some skill to get those 416 pins to disappear.
Even though I could see a little bit of the pin outline, I loved how the bolsters looked and felt and the customer did too.
 
Salem Straub said:
On kitchen knives, I like to use paper micarta or better yet black G10 for bolsters... Especially for extra light knives.
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Or sometimes I'll go a bit more subtle with a contrasting wood for a longer bolster.
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Also fun is to actually make a G10 handle, then dovetail inlay scales of a different color so that the fronts and back of the G10 "frame" become visual bolsters...
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For folders, a clean bolster in 410 can be nice...
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But I really like them in dammy over a hidden pivot.
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Keyholes are a fun challenge, and can be done on both ends. In W2:
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Forge welded on, in w's pattern, and keyholed:
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I like to forge weld matching bolsters onto tiled-out mosaic hunters:
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Or what's also fun is to forge weld mosaic bolsters onto a ladder or other pattern blade:
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Besides that, one of the ways that I still find most challenging is to make forge integral ss over carbon, leaving the stainless as bolsters...
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Years ago I used to make taper tang hunters and stuff with more conventional pinned/epoxied bolsters from SS or NS but I've moved away from full tangs and slab handles so what I've pictured above makes a bit more sense for my style and keeps me from getting bored. Which I guess I must have been just now...

In parting, here's one from like 2010 I think.
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Salem, Your knives are absolutely beautiful. I love your forged Damascus integrals. I am very envious because I have neither the skill nor physical ability to forge steel and so must be contented with stock reduction knife making. I am not sad however because I love the work that I do and like the old Clint Eastwood movie I try to " know my limitations". Please share more photos of your creations as you make them. Larry
 
I will be a dinosaur! I like bolster, I like pinns and lanyard holes! I like to put them in AISI 416 or even AISI 304 steel. Those in AISI 304 polished to a mirror (another dinosaur thing) much better than those in 416, but to my personal taste they give a touch of classic elegance that like me a lot.
 
304 and the other 3xx stainless steels are a pain for bolsters, they machine like crap, can be difficult to make the pins disappear at times, and are actually really soft and it can be hard to avoid rescratching in polishing. They are more corrosion resistant than 416 though, and don't need heat treating as 416 does. Actually two schools of thought on 416. Some guys heat treat the pins before peening, others just beat the crap out of them to work harden it. Both seem to work, matter od preference mostly.
I use both, but I only really use 304 because I've got a pile of it laying around. Once I run out I'll likely just use 416.

For peening the pins I've taken to using a hydraulic shop press to squish them instead of doing it all with a hammer. Its a bit harder to screw up, but you have to be careful as even a 12 ton press can squeeze a pin hard enough to bulge a narrower loveless style slotted guard. I always beat the pin with a hammer after pressing too, but that's mostly to satisfy my paranoia about a pin showing up. I doubt it does anything after pressing.
 
I have an on-again, off-again, fail and re-attempt ad nauseam project knife that has a hidden tang handle with steel guard and butt cap, but not bolsters the way I think you are talking about.

That being said, some makers of custom slipjoints make SS bolster/liner knives.
 
LARRYZ10 said:
Salem, Your knives are absolutely beautiful. I love your forged Damascus integrals. I am very envious because I have neither the skill nor physical ability to forge steel and so must be contented with stock reduction knife making. I am not sad however because I love the work that I do and like the old Clint Eastwood movie I try to " know my limitations". Please share more photos of your creations as you make them. Larry
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Larry, thanks brother! I used to share more here but as other avenues opened up it's limited my activity in Shoptalk. I'll post some stuff coming up though, an interesting dagger project. Lemme know if you care to try finishing out an integral mascus forging some time... could be a collab.
 
Salem, I may have to talk to you at some point. If not a colab at least some tips on trying one of those integral knives myself.
 
Salem Straub said:
Yeah man, hit me up whenever... I could send an integral to finish your way some time, too.
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I'll message you in the new year, I'd love finishing one out once I get some other things taken care of. If I end up liking them maybe it'll be good motivation to finally get my forging stuff out of storage and do something other than just stock removal.
 
I'm a Stock removal Stainless Steel maker that makes Culinary knives! As noted by Salem and others I don't want the added weight of bolsters and putting copper on a culinary knife is asking for trouble.

I've dove tailed in Micarta in the distant past and a few of Kirinite lately, Micarta fumes make me sick! 'Formaldehyde' stopped using it ... Yes! Even with my Respirator on... It will pickle your brain over time! Since mines already Pickled.. No need to use it anymore;)

It all depends on what you make? On a Bowie or Folder Bolsters can look great! Copper, Nickel or Stainless...
The stuff my knives stab is already dead and drained of blood so no need for a metal bolster!
 
I don't much like the idea of copper on a kitchen knife, either. And yes, bolsters are heavy. More and more I'm going to the model of a "stingy bolster" for chef knives, i.e. pretty short.
 
Salem Straub said:
I don't much like the idea of copper on a kitchen knife, either. And yes, bolsters are heavy. More and more I'm going to the model of a "stingy bolster" for chef knives, i.e. pretty short.
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The trend I don’t get at all is newer guys using copper & Brass as liners! Talk about asking for trouble! Haven’t these guys pulled an old Hunter with a brass guard on it out of a sheath and seen all of the green crud built up???
 
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