Buck Buck Hunter 110 nickel or brass bolsters?

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Mar 26, 2019
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Hello, I have owned a stock 110 for a while now and I love it. I use it as my main edc and my work knife. I have decided that I will be ordering a custom buck hunter 110 with the elk handles soon and I am debating whether to get the brass or nickel bolsters. I have read that nickel is lightly stronger and does not tarnish, but does it scratch easily? I will be using this knife as a work knife. I work on a farm, so it will be covered in mud, dirt, and water as well as being used when I work on cars, so grease, oil ect. I do not expect this knife to be kept showroom clean, but if I order the nickel bolsters, I don't want it to look trashed with scratches and damage more than the brass would. Would trashed brass look better than trashed nickel?
 
Like you said yourself, i think it comes down to whether you want a patina over time. I think if you are going to beat it up, the patina on brass will work for you.
 
It wont make any real difference either way. Whichever you think looks better. I prefer nickel.
I read a thread where someone had the nickel bolsters and put the knife in his pocket along with some coins, causing spiderweb-like scratches all over the bolsters. I have never had this issue with the brass bolsters. I am just concerned about the metal looking trashed with very minimal damage done.
 
Does patina protect the brass that much?

Well not so much protect it. More like hide scuffing in a general patina. Do still dry the knife when getting it wet. I have seen the brass oxidize to statue of liberty green

Edit: to be sure you know what i mean by patina, you should search some pic of patina on a Buck 110. It is what you called tarnish. So the question is whether you want nickel that stays shiny or brass that will tarnish
 
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Well not so much protect it. More like hide scuffing in a general patina. Do still dry the knife when getting it wet. I have seen the brass oxidize to statue of liberty green

Edit: to be sure you know what i mean by patina, you should search some pic of patina on a Buck 110. It is what you called tarnish. So the question is whether you want nickel that stays shiny or brass that will tarnish
Yes I do dry my knife. I maintain my tools very well, oiling them regularly as well as (If possible) pulling them apart completely to clean them. When I first got my current 110, I rubbed mineral oil on the bolsters, thinking that it would polish them. Boy was I wrong :p. I didn't know oil caused metal to tarnish. My knife tarnishes very quickly now, not sure if I removed a clear-coat lacquer or not. But I would prefer to keep the bolsters polished if possible.
 
Yes I do dry my knife. I maintain my tools very well, oiling them regularly as well as (If possible) pulling them apart completely to clean them. When I first got my current 110, I rubbed mineral oil on the bolsters, thinking that it would polish them. Boy was I wrong :p. I didn't know oil caused metal to tarnish. My knife tarnishes very quickly now, not sure if I removed a clear-coat lacquer or not. But I would prefer to keep the bolsters polished if possible.

Then Nickel is for you
 
Are you talking about nickel or nickel silver?. Ns will tarnish .
I am not sure. the buck website only states nickel, but it is a shiny, mirror silver in appearance. there is no difference between ns and n other than the appearance from what I have heard though.
 
Nickel silver will tarnish a bit and turns into a rose gold color. I like brass bolsters, Just like the contrast to the silver blade but both are similar in durability. Main difference is that the brass will tarnish a lot darker and a lot more, that helps hide scratches. The bolsters are so beefy anyway durability in terms of the metal is all cosmetic.
 
They're both nice and I have 110's and 112's with both. I think the nickel will look better with the elk by far. I like that way more than brass with any type of stag. I think looks are really the only thing to be concerned with. Although I think brass presents a bigger chance of verdigris. I've never seen it one of mine but something to keep in mind....
 
Both will hold up fine but they will wear in differently. I get more scratches in my NS Bucks but I get more dents and dings in my brass Bucks.

I would pick based on which you think looks better.

NOTE: I have an aluminum framed 110 in my rear pocket most days and I completely love this knife for suburban EDC. It's beautiful, weighs less than an ant fart and is wonderfully balanced in the hand. But I wouldn't recommend it for barn use. My old beater brass 110 stays on my work bench and gets the nod when doing hard work.

EDITED to ADD: I'd be too chicken to use elk handles for a hard use knife. I generally love Buck's Micarta scales.
 
Here’s my nickel 110 it does have some fine scratches on the bolsters and this spot from being dropped. I do like the brass bolsters more with a patina and they might look better trashed than nickel. Nickel would look better on elk while brass looks better on oak or ironwood imo. 77597D68-E7F7-42C5-9070-27A03A119038.jpeg 09F9FC15-A1CF-4627-A9C0-FA25FC6491F6.jpeg
 
Both will hold up fine but they will wear in differently. I get more scratches in my NS Bucks but I get more dents and dings in my brass Bucks.

I would pick based on which you think looks better.

NOTE: I have an aluminum framed 110 in my rear pocket most days and I completely love this knife for suburban EDC. It's beautiful, weighs less than an ant fart and is wonderfully balanced in the hand. But I wouldn't recommend it for barn use. My old beater brass 110 stays on my work bench and gets the nod when doing hard work.

EDITED to ADD: I'd be too chicken to use elk handles for a hard use knife. I generally love Buck's Micarta scales.
Why wouldn't you recommend aluminum handles for barn use? I love the weight of the buck 110, and I am so used to it that I do not notice it anymore, but wouldn't aluminum have to be bulkier to be as strong? Similar to steel toe boots vs aluminum toe boots.
Here’s my nickel 110 it does have some fine scratches on the bolsters and this spot from being dropped. I do like the brass bolsters more with a patina and they might look better trashed than nickel. Nickel would look better on elk while brass looks better on oak or ironwood imo. View attachment 1098914 View attachment 1098915
Wow, those marks definitely show up easier on the nickel than they would on brass.
 
They're both nice and I have 110's and 112's with both. I think the nickel will look better with the elk by far. I like that way more than brass with any type of stag. I think looks are really the only thing to be concerned with. Although I think brass presents a bigger chance of verdigris. I've never seen it one of mine but something to keep in mind....

I also think that the risk of verdigris with brass on Elk is worthy of consideration. If I'm not mistaken, and I might be, a nickel bolstered 110 will also have a nickel frame. A brass bolstered 110 will have a brass frame.

If that's the case, the Elk could turn green if mounted on brass and you might like that less than a scratched up nickel bolster.
 
F6559AE1-BC0A-41B9-A008-F82CACEB6A2C.jpeg I don’t think there is a lot of Nickel in the N/S bolsters. They are probably white brass like most U.S. coins. I like the Titanium handles for hard use, like the one in the lower left corner.
 
I also think that the risk of verdigris with brass on Elk is worthy of consideration. If I'm not mistaken, and I might be, a nickel bolstered 110 will also have a nickel frame. A brass bolstered 110 will have a brass frame.

If that's the case, the Elk could turn green if mounted on brass and you might like that less than a scratched up nickel bolster.
yes, you are correct. The Nickel bolstered knife will have a nickel frame. What exactly is verdigris? I thought it was just a toxic green tarnish that forms on copper and brass-based metals. I had no idea it would discolor the scales. Will, it not discolor wood scales?
 
View attachment 1098943 I don’t think there is a lot of Nickel in the N/S bolsters. They are probably white brass like most U.S. coins. I like the Titanium handles for hard use, like the one in the lower left corner.
I can't do modern knives very much. I largely prefer the traditional look, as well as the hefty weight that comes with it.
 
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