C Craft
Well-Known Member
I am in the process of building my first knife using Nickel/Silver bolsters and a Nickel/Silver pommel. In fact this is my fist use of Nickel/Silver. I have been really surprised at how hard this material is too work.
I guess I shouldn’t have been because I know from my construction days that Nickel is used often too plate the teeth of heavy equipment. Nickel beads are laid down side by side on the teeth of equipment as a wear surface. I guess I figured there would be more silver than nickel in the bar I bought from the knife supply.
Anyway back to the subject at hand. I need to pick everyone’s brain for information about finishing N/S! I have used 80 grit to sand too shape, and strip of an old 80 grit belt to refine the shape. I have then polished with 180grit.
I am beginning to see this is going to need to be highly polished to look right. So what I am asking is what grit do you sand out N/S too? Do you buff out the final finished look?
My problem is the bolster is going to have to be in a finished state before it goes back onto the knife. However the Camel bone (jigged scales) I am using cannot be finish shaped till they go back onto the knife as they will have to be blended into the finished shape of the bolsters and pommel. Has anyone got any advice on this particular step?
Any advice on finishing N/S, as well as any advice on the blending of the Camel bone into the finished N/S pieces without screwing up the finished N/S would be greatly appreciated!
I guess I shouldn’t have been because I know from my construction days that Nickel is used often too plate the teeth of heavy equipment. Nickel beads are laid down side by side on the teeth of equipment as a wear surface. I guess I figured there would be more silver than nickel in the bar I bought from the knife supply.
Anyway back to the subject at hand. I need to pick everyone’s brain for information about finishing N/S! I have used 80 grit to sand too shape, and strip of an old 80 grit belt to refine the shape. I have then polished with 180grit.
I am beginning to see this is going to need to be highly polished to look right. So what I am asking is what grit do you sand out N/S too? Do you buff out the final finished look?
My problem is the bolster is going to have to be in a finished state before it goes back onto the knife. However the Camel bone (jigged scales) I am using cannot be finish shaped till they go back onto the knife as they will have to be blended into the finished shape of the bolsters and pommel. Has anyone got any advice on this particular step?
Any advice on finishing N/S, as well as any advice on the blending of the Camel bone into the finished N/S pieces without screwing up the finished N/S would be greatly appreciated!