Buck Buck Hunter 110 nickel or brass bolsters?

The Titanium models (186 & 560) are antiques now. The company that made the Ti handles for Buck burned to the ground many years ago. You gotta go with what floats your boat.
 
Yellow brass has more Copper and less Zinc than white brass which has less Copper and more Zinc than yellow brass. Both materials exude green salts when they corrode due to the Copper. It’s like red rust, just a different color.
 
cgunning17 said:
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?
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Your description of verdigris is correct to the best of my knowledge. Personally, I've never seen it discolor wood scales but I've seen quite a few examples of discolored deer antler (stag). I'm only assuming that elk antler would absorb the verdigris in a similar manner.

It's your call, of course but I wanted to reiterate the risk that JD Bear mentioned above in case you hadn't considered it. If it were my knife I would opt for nickel bolsters hands down if the handle slabs are to be elk antler. I don't like verdigris infested slabs at all. I'd rather have the scratched up bolsters.
 
I'm with you Railsplitter.

I don't think verdigris looks as bad on wood but it's still kinda ugly. It reminds me of lichen on trees...
 
cgunning17 said:
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.
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I had one built with brass bolsters some years back. It has held up well with intermittent use. I liked the way the brass complemented the warmer tones of the antler, but I think either bolster would look good. Here's an old picture, maybe it will help with your decision.

Edit, took a current picture to replace out of focus old pic

Jg5izTc.jpg
 
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Railsplitter said:
Your description of verdigris is correct to the best of my knowledge. Personally, I've never seen it discolor wood scales but I've seen quite a few examples of discolored deer antler (stag). I'm only assuming that elk antler would absorb the verdigris in a similar manner.

It's your call, of course but I wanted to reiterate the risk that JD Bear mentioned above in case you hadn't considered it. If it were my knife I would opt for nickel bolsters hands down if the handle slabs are to be elk antler. I don't like verdigris infested slabs at all. I'd rather have the scratched up bolsters.
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Yeah, thanks. I think I will go with nickel bolsters now that I know the elk scales will stain from the verdigris. It likely is a problem with bone due to it being so porous compared to wood.
JD Bear said:
I'm with you Railsplitter.

I don't think verdigris looks as bad on wood but it's still kinda ugly. It reminds me of lichen on trees...
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Lol I love lichen on trees. Kinda grew up around it though.

So is it a good idea to regularly polish my current brass 110 to keep the verdigris under control?
 
I have both nickel and brass bolsters on my 110s & 112s I think the nickel is more of a nice for show metal and depending on the handle material can look very nice and easier to keep looking nice although nickel can get scratchy looking. Brass kept polished can look amazing with the right handle material but if you want a more rugged look you can let it patina for a hunting knife without the flash and still looks good. So I tend to go brass for rugged outdoors and nickel for around the house and front porch.
 
Brass with patina looks better than a hazy dirty looking nickel silver, but if you're going to keep it shined up with flitz or something then I guess it doesn't matter too much and either look good with Bucks elk covers from what I've seen.
 
cgunning17 said:
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.
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I wouldn't trust the aluminum to hold up to hard cutting or prying like I would the brass or NS ones. They are the same size. If I grab the blade, I feel a bit of give. Not as much as a plastic 110, but more than brass or NS.
 
tiguy7 said:
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.
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While I'll admit, these are really nice knives, and a couple are absolutely stunning, when this pic was posted the traditional forum moderators suddenly got a bad case of heartburn.:D1go1m5.jpg- The Mods
not knock'n the blades, just say'n ;)
 
My bad. I didn’t catch the traditional thing and let a pocket clip slip in there. They usually let 110’s go, but you must edit out the pocket clips and thumb studs.
 
cgunning17 said:
Yeah, thanks. I think I will go with nickel bolsters now that I know the elk scales will stain from the verdigris. It likely is a problem with bone due to it being so porous compared to wood.

Lol I love lichen on trees. Kinda grew up around it though.

So is it a good idea to regularly polish my current brass 110 to keep the verdigris under control?
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I like it too actually :thumbsup:

I'm not really sure if polish would keep it at bay. I would guess maybe some mineral oil on the stag every once in a while would keep it healthy. I'm sure some of the other guys would know. It sounds like this will be on you every day all day so you might not run into that problem. In the past I never polished my brass or nickel bolster, but I've been doing it lately and I've liked it. I hope you enjoy whatever you decide on and use it a ton...
 
Misplaced Hillbilly said:
While I'll admit, these are really nice knives, and a couple are absolutely stunning, when this pic was posted the traditional forum moderators suddenly got a bad case of heartburn.:DView attachment 1099087- The Mods
not knock'n the blades, just say'n ;)
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tiguy7 said:
My bad. I didn’t catch the traditional thing and let a pocket clip slip in there. They usually let 110’s go, but you must edit out the pocket clips and thumb studs.
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Thumb studs and pocket clips in the traditional forum? What's next? Cats and dogs living together?
I'll leave it for the 110 content. No more please. Thanks!
 
JD Bear said:
I like it too actually :thumbsup:

I'm not really sure if polish would keep it at bay. I would guess maybe some mineral oil on the stag every once in a while would keep it healthy. I'm sure some of the other guys would know. It sounds like this will be on you every day all day so you might not run into that problem. In the past I never polished my brass or nickel bolster, but I've been doing it lately and I've liked it. I hope you enjoy whatever you decide on and use it a ton...
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I used to teach skiing for a living in Vermont. Back when I was young and my knee cartilage was... well... present.

There were 2 guys who skied fast and danger all the time. They mostly skis on race skis salvaged from dumpsters. They were hands down the best skiers in the ski school and on the hill.

Just to understand what's coming, skis were and are expensive and we were trying to keep ourselves stocked in Moslon. Most people had 2 pairs of skis: Good skis for good conditions and rock skis for thin conditions when you might rip out an edge on a rock.

Anyway, these guys had a saying to explain their style of skiing.

"All skis are rock skis."

There are, of course, many other sayings that get at the same thing. "Beat on it like a rented mule." "Drive it like you stole it." "Own the thing, don't let the thing own you."

My grandfather's Winchester 94 came down to me with the bluing all worn off where he carried it the woods. It's honest wear and I would smack anybody who suggested getting it reblued.

Just me... I think a 110 looks better with some honest wear on it. More importantly, for me, all my knives are users. Even the pretty ones. For me, the wear makes them prettier.

But this is YMMV territory.
 
Personally I love the patina and weight of the brass. I was thinking of an aluminum 110, until I got my 110lt. Nothing wrong with the lighter knife, I just really prefer the heavier handle.
I wouldn't worry about the verdigris as that seldom develops. Besides if it's a user it will get many character marks of its own over time.
 
If one is worried about scratches or fingerprints on Buck's polished nickel bolsters, giving them a satin finish with a green Scotch-Brite pad works very well, and is easily done. Takes maybe 5 minutes to do it. I've done this with a Buck 111 of mine; it's especially good for concealing fingerprints from frequent handling. Can still be scratched, but the lighter scratches & scuffs don't stand out as much, as they will on a high-polish finish. And if they do get some light pocket scratches, the Scotch-Brite will fix it again very easily. Same could be done with brass, but it'll still tarnish more than the nickel will, on the Buck bolsters.

The 'nickel' of Buck's knives doesn't really discolor much at all, for what it's worth. Definitely doesn't 'yellow' like other variations of so-called 'nickel silver' will, which I've seen more on European or Germany-made knives in particular.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
If one is worried about scratches or fingerprints on Buck's polished nickel bolsters, giving them a satin finish with a green Scotch-Brite pad works very well, and is easily done. Takes maybe 5 minutes to do it. I've done this with a Buck 111 of mine; it's especially good for concealing fingerprints from frequent handling. Can still be scratched, but the lighter scratches & scuffs don't stand out as much, as they will on a high-polish finish. And if they do get some light pocket scratches, the Scotch-Brite will fix it again very easily. Same could be done with brass, but it'll still tarnish more than the nickel will, on the Buck bolsters.

The 'nickel' of Buck's knives doesn't really discolor much at all, for what it's worth. Definitely doesn't 'yellow' like other variations of so-called 'nickel silver' will, which I've seen more on European or Germany-made knives in particular.
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I've done my own satin as well. I usually use 2000 grit sandpaper. Easy to do and easy to maintain. Gives the bolsters a good look :thumbsup:
 
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