All About Pocket Knives

Bolsters.......... sheesh, whaddya think I was talking about ???

Got this little Barlow in a lot off ebay, and wasn't too particularly impressed right off. It had those thin, stamped bolsters (missing one side), steel liners, and was in need of a good cleaning. Once i cleaned it up, i noticed the handles were bone......

Looked like an import for Kabar possibly, although the tang says SFB - 1 / Japan. It still looks identical to my brass bolstered Kabar 1014 from japan. Thats when I knew I had to save it. Basically all I did was clean it up, and rebuilt it with bolsters cut from brass stock. Took alot of filing and shaping,....... I seriously got to get a bench grinder and belt sander. But it polished up real good, and took a wicked edge !!

Though I don't recognize the maker, does anyone know what era steel liners were used in Japan ? I'm figuring post WWII, early 50's since the brass had all been used up for shell casings in the war.

My Kabar 1014 - made in Japan. Looks alot like the SFB-1

Nice save Mike!
Now I see why it has pins in the bolsters, it was a Barlow. I must have missed that in your first post. Nice job in that!



BTW, when you are working brass on an electric grinder .............................DON"T!
Brass expands more than steel when it gets hot like copper (it has copper in it). Both copper & brass can fill in voids in a wheel then expand enough to cause a composition wheel to chip out little pieces. The wheel can basically come apart while you are using it at 3600 RPMs. Worse case; it is like a hand grenade going off in your face. At the very least you get peppered with little chunks of brass and stone. That is why you should always use eye protection. I prefer the full face shield.

That's some life-saving info, thanks orvet! Mental note made.

orvet wrote: BTW, when you are working brass on an electric grinder .............................DON"T!
Brass expands more than steel when it gets hot like copper (it has copper in it). Both copper & brass can fill in voids in a wheel then expand enough to cause a composition wheel to chip out little pieces. The wheel can basically come apart while you are using it at 3600 RPMs. Worse case; it is like a hand grenade going off in your face. At the very least you get peppered with little chunks of brass and stone. That is why you should always use eye protection. I prefer the full face shield.

Wow, good thing I didn't try the dremel on it. I always wear safety glasses, since my days as a mechanic / stereo installer. Had way too many close calls with metal slivers. Good info !!

Worked 34 years as a field machinist. One of our big rules of thumb was "if it don't spark, don't grind it". Meaning any non-ferrous metals. Orvet's reasons are 100% correct.