Stainless Damascus Bolsters?

SVanderkolff

Well-Known Member
I am planning on using some Mike Norris stainless damasus for the bolsters on a stainless damascus blade. My first thought was to use 416 pins, peen them in, sand them smooth and then etch along with the rest of the knife. I am worried that the 416 might react differently to the muriatic acid than the Mike norris damascus. How do you pin and etch stainless damascus bolsters?
Thanks
Steve
 
Steve,

When I use damascus for bolsters or handles, stainless or carbon, I generally leave the pins raised and domed. I etch the damascus before I assemble the knife and carefully peen them in place. That's what I did on the small fixed blade in the attached picture. The scales are Damasteel, but I've used a lot of Norris' damascus. If I'd peened the scales in place before etching, the entire CPM154 blade would have etched as well.

You can, of course, etch damascus bolsters on a damascus blade. I would seal off the bolsters underneath though or you might have problems with your etchant or russ oozing out. Epoxy would work, but it can also cause problems. You don't want your pins contaminated with the glue near the outside of the bolsters. However, if you keep them clean and peen them properly, then grind them down flush you should have no problems. Just make sure all your epoxy or other adhesive is completely cleaned off around the perimeter so you will get a complete etch.

I don't believe the 416 is going to etch darkly. In the second picture is a blade I made from a Burt Foster laminate of 416 over a carbon steel core. The 416 did not do much when I etched the blade. I believe you would wind up with some silver dots in your damascus is all.

David
 

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David
I tried attaching the Mike Norris stainless damascus bolsters to a blade of the same material. I used a 3/32 rod of 416 SS. Interestingly when I put a clean rod on its own in the etchant to test it it turned grey, which was fine. After I attached the bolsters and etched it in the same etchant the pins turned black. So I now have the bolster pins showing clearly but I don't think it really detracts form the knife. I have to figure that the reaction of the stain;ess damascus changes the reaction of the 416 for some reason.
Thanks
Steve
 
David
Here is the picture of the knife with the bolsters. I am going to try drilling out just the very outside of the pin back to bare metal and see how that effects the feel of the bolster. I may have to think of same way to texture it although that seems more than a bit redundant when dealing with stainles damascus.
Steve
 

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Steve,

I don't know that undercutting the pin heads is a good idea, especially if the two pins are all that hold the bolsters in place. If you don't like the black you could still lightly texture them with a rotary tool and fine burr.

In the future one thing you could do is make the pins from gold. Yeah, I know it's like a gazillion bucks per ounce! Still, it would be a classy touch that would suit this knife. I'd use 14k myself. Gold wire is going to be drawn in wire gage sizes, so you should drill your holes with an appropriate drill before heat treating anything. I'd also use the same gold wire for pins in the MOP scales.

I don't know what ferric chloride would do to sterling silver. If it didn't hurt it you could try sterling wire. I do know that FC wouldn't be particularly good for brass, bronze, or copper pins, and it would contaminate your etchant. Now you could use all of these metals for pins if you installed the bolsters after they were etched. They should be easy to peen and leave with a nice domed head.

Be sure you heat treat your bolsters. It would let them etch in a way that would match the blade.

Nice knife, Steve.
 
Thanks David
I like the idea of the gold. The pins in the pink mop are 14K gold already. Do you know if Muriatic effects gold. I guess I can dip it in to see. or doming the gold pins would look good too. How do you dome your pins without messing up the etched bolsters?
Thanks
Steve
 
How do you dome your pins without messing up the etched bolsters?
Thanks
Steve

VERY CAREFULLY! :eek:

First, if you harden your bolsters they won't be as likely to dent if you miss. I use a small ball peen hammer, maybe 4 or 6 ounces, to get started. Sometimes I switch to a heavier hammer, but that may not be necessary with gold pins. The gold isn't going to be as hard as the stainless steel, so go easy. Make small precise hits (taps really) with your hammer. Don't get in too big a hurry. I also lower my Opti-Visor and get my face down close so I can see what I'm doing. You could put a couple of layers of heavy tape around the pins to cushion the blow if you miss or slip. After you've domed them, buff them. (Buffing is generally not a bad idea with stainless damascus, as it helps enhance the pattern and the contrast.) The easy thing to do would be to peen the pins and flush them like the 416 pins, then etch the entire blade/bolster assembly together. (Do put epoxy under the bolsters to seal them off as I noted earlier. It would prove embarrassing if rusty slop oozed out in a couple of years!)

If you dome the bolster pins, I'd dome the handle pins to give the knife a coordinated look.

I don't know what muriatic acid do to the gold. If you're using Norris' damascus you are better off using ferric chloride. It etches it well, gives good contrast, and it doesn't fume and rust your machinery and burn your eyes. (Okay, to be sure, take a piece of gold and dip it into the FC for a few minutes as a test. Like Reagan with the Russians, "trust, but verify".)

Another thought about gold would be to consider the colored gold alloys. Rose and green gold would look good if you happen to have MOP with some undertones of pinks and greens.

If those black pins continue to irritate you, do you think you could drive them out and replace them with gold without damaging the rest of the knife?

Steve, I think you're on the right track her. That's a nice knife with a good shape. The materials are rich and elegant. It would make what I call a "personal knife", a smallish fixed blade that is usually of nicer materials and is carried for general personal use.

Whatever you decide to do, you should probably set it aside for a few days and just chill. Come back to it when you are fresh.

David
 
Steve, those darker pins aren't a deal breaker. they fit in with the knife. having said that, I'd still want them to blend in a little more.
 
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