All About Pocket Knives

Hi all, Having trouble fitting handles to bolsters, just can't get them tight enough.
I have now started to use a magnifying lens, but that's a real pain.

At the moment just practicing trying to get some system going.


How do you's all get them just snug with no visible gap.
Do you undercut them and try not to let it show on outside?



cheers Gary.

Gary,
Very good question!

Often when fitting the bolsters to a knife, the bolsters may be worn or dinged so they may not be perfectly straight. You have to fit the scale to the bolster that is on the knife, not to what it should be. Many knives are alarmingly imprecise, even good quality knives. They were made as tools, not as precision instruments. So, be sure the bolsters are in fact straight before you begin fitting. If not, fit to the bolster on the knife.

I usually square my handles to fit the bolsters with the disc sander on one of my belt sanders. I have to be sure that the table and the sanding disc are truly perpendicular. That will work for bolsters that are perfectly square.

For most used knives, I actually undercut the bottom of the handle material by 3 to 5 degrees, even for a square bolster. The undercut is so slight on 1/8” thick scale that it is unnoticeable. It also leaves a bit of space in there for a good bead of glue to seal the space adequately and prevent moisture from penetrating under the scales.

Give it a try if you are having problems.
Let us know how it works for you.

Thanks Dale, I put these horn handles on this mini knife, it had some sort of bone on it,broken of course.
I got to this point and the gap at the bolsters seems too pronounced. The bolsters are pressed which doesn't give them a real square bottom on them.
I undercut them a tad trying not to get too much gap down there but still not happy with it.
Any suggestions.


cheers Gary.

ringergary wrote:Thanks Dale, I put these horn handles on this mini knife, it had some sort of bone on it,broken of course.
I got to this point and the gap at the bolsters seems too pronounced. The bolsters are pressed which doesn't give them a real square bottom on them.
I undercut them a tad trying not to get too much gap down there but still not happy with it.
Any suggestions.


cheers Gary.

Gary~
With your next knife, do as Dale stated above "undercutting" at a slight angle.
But leave the scales slightly longer than you need.
From this point it's all sanding by hand. Stay away from the sander.
Wrap some medium to fine sandpaper around a perfectly square block of wood.
Take a few passes with the paper on the undercut edge. then see how they fit.
Keep making passes till they fit like a glove.
Like Dale said, these knives are not perfect. So custom fitting is needed.
Remember, your working on old knives.
A slight gap at the scales and bolsters doesn't matter.
It only matches the ware and age of the folder.
Use a sealer to fill in any gaps to keep moisture away from the underside.
If you are making brand new custom show pieces then that's a different story and you will have to be precise.
Your mini knife posted looks fine to me.
The knife doesn't even look as if the scales were replaced.
This is what you want when restoring an old knife.
Fix what's wrong but keep that aged look.
Excellent job............

J W