Brass bolsters

[Blackdirt cowboy]

I’m going to attempt putting brass bolsters on a knife for the first time. I’m going to use mosaic pins. Does anyone have any tips, tricks, or advice on how to go about this. I’m hoping to give the brass a very shiny, polished finish.

The plan is to have a brass bolster in front of a rams horn scale. I’ll be putting a liner behind both the brass and the horn.

 

[scott kozub]

I've done a couple. Make sure to wrap the horn in tape or seal it before buffing the brass. The black crud will contaminate the horn. Brass bolsters are really easy to work but they heat up very fast when working so be careful not to burn the horn.

 

[scott kozub]

The brass will also tarnish quickly.

 

[Blackdirt cowboy]

How do you finish it to keep it from tarnishing?

 

[Richard338]

Just lightly polish every 20 minutes or so...
Just kidding.
I did some habaki in silicon bronze and used cold blue to darken them. They don't change from there.
I did a guard and brightly polished it. After 2 years it is darker, but not too much. You can always restore it with a light polish.

 

[Blackdirt cowboy]

I assume if I take the brass up to 600 grit on my belt sander, that it will have a brushed look. What’s the best way to polish it? A buffing wheel? Compound?

 

[Richard338]

600 should look pretty smooth. See how you like that. I don't buff, but I will go to 2000 or higher grit depending on the purpose.

 

[Cushing H.]

Horsewright recently posted several videos of how he attached brass bolsters with mosaic pins that were peened. Sorry, I’m on my phone right now so can’t search.. will try in morning if someone does not beat me to it...

 

[Horsewright]

Here it is:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/horsewrights-bolster-process.1695696/

I've not had any problems with the rams horn or sheep horn picking up gunk from buffing a bolster. I do tape off wood handles though and camel bone, anything light colored I guess. But horn, elk, dyed bone etc I don't. The sides of the bolster are taken to 320 on the grinder and the top and bottom/spine edges of both the handle and the bolster are taken to 600 before buffing. I buff on a sisal wheel with fastcut. This takes out most of the grinding scratches. Then on a sewn wheel with mediumcut. This helps round and blend the edges that were rounded on the small wheel, particularly the bottom side. I then use green scratch remover at a 90 degree angle to all prior buffing. This too is on a sewn wheel. Then pink scratchless on a loose wheel and final kind of last clean up with green chrome on a loose wheel.

Couple horn ones with brass bolsters:

 

[scott kozub]

I was hoping horsewright wood see this post. His work is fantastic.

 

[Cushing H.]

Thanks Dave. I just could not recall at all which thread you had posted the videos to. Right now on the few bolsters I have done I just used my dremel with their supplied compound ... Worked “ok”, but is definitely a stopgap. I’ll have to somewhat Emulate your sequence ... though I am still wary of the buffer (though if I had all the open space you do as a “shooting range” for loose blades, I might have tried it. . )

 

[Cushing H.]

Dave - I am interested to note that on your horn handles you do not fill in the texture. No concern about grunge collecting in those spaces?

 

[Horsewright]

Dave - I am interested to note that on your horn handles you do not fill in the texture. No concern about grunge collecting in those spaces?

Do you mean during the buffing process or after?

 

[Cushing H.]

Do you mean during the buffing process or after?

After ... during use. You gotta admit - those knives find themselves in some pretty ... messy ... environments !

 

[Blackdirt cowboy]

Dave, thanks so much for linking that thread. You do awesome work. If mine turn out half as beautiful as yours, I will be happy.

 

[Horsewright]

After ... during use. You gotta admit - those knives find themselves in some pretty ... messy ... environments !

Yeah they see use, but it doesn't seem to be a problem My own last two personal EDCs have sheep horn handles. Top knife is my current one and the bottom one is prior:

Course the same could be said about some open grain woods, antler etc. On my custom ordered knives I would say elk and or sheep horn is the most popular.

Dave, thanks so much for linking that thread. You do awesome work. If mine turn out half as beautiful as yours, I will be happy.

Good deal, thanks and if ya have any questions I'm around.

 

[Cushing H.]

huh. got it. thanks dave.

 

[Horsewright]

huh. got it. thanks dave.

Ya bet. During buffing I have another buffer with just a plain sisal string wheel on it, no compound. That will whisk out any buffing gunk that gets down in any texture.