-
Make sure the bolster and blade are flat. Pre-shape the bolsters
to the design you want them to be. Finish the front of the bolsters
before assembly. This will save you time in the long run. Rub
bolsters to remove any burrs etc on a sheet of 120 grit sand paper
on top of a flat surface until clean and flat. Clean the blade.
-
Remove unwanted stock from bolster face side (the side away from
the blade) making sure that the both sides have equal stock taken
off from them.
-
Put a small chamfer on the bolster with a countersink of a drill
larger than the bolster hole. Use a slow rpm drill press or hand
battery drill for this operation. NO chatter can be in the hole
if you want a seamless bolster with the pin not showing after
finish. The chamfer should be 1/32 of an inch larger than the
hole itself.
-
Assemble pins through the bolster and the blade in the right order.
-
Cut
the pins 1/16 per side (1/8 inch total) longer than the knife
with the bolster assembled.
-
Lay
the knife on a solid block of smooth steel. (Your vice may have
an anvil)
-
Start
peening one side of the pins into the bolster.
-
Flip
the knife several times until the pins are mushroomed into the
bolster chamfers and the bolsters are tight to the blade. NOTE:
You can put a thin coating of slow curing epoxy under the bolsters
to make them water proof if you desire. Remove ALL epoxy from
the area of the blade and bolster where your handles will fit
up and where the bolsters hit the blade in the front area that
you have finished at this time with acetone etc.
-
Grind
off the excess pin stock at this time. Be careful not to take
too much off the bolster or you will expose your pins. Do not
grind lower than the chamfer on your bolster.
-
You
can round your bolster at this time to a nice 220 grit rough finish.
Once again take the stock off the corners NOT the middle where
your pins are. Only finish this area lightly.
-
FOR
NON-MACHINED HANDLES: Set your handle slabs on the knife the way
you want them to be after assembly. Clamp them to the knife with
the front part very tight against the bolster. Make sure the handle
material is larger than the handle of the blade and positioned
right to cover the blade fully. Drill through the blade side through
the handle assembly pin holes. Remove the handle marking the side
that is to go on the blade and repeat on the other side of the
knife. Make sure the pins, handles, thong tubing, blade all slip
fit together. Then skip to line 13
- FOR
PREMACHINED HANDLES: For pre machined handles make sure that everything
slips together first. Get the fit up right.
- Once
the fit is correct mix your epoxy coat the blade with a thin coat.
Make sure to put epoxy on your pins so that it seals the handles
on the outside of the knife. Assemble the handles to the blade at
this time. Make sure all of the fits are correct and then clamp
the handles to the blade in several places.
- Let
dry overnight
- Cut
off the excess pin stock at this time.
- Finish
the outside of the frame first. This is a great operation to use
the knifekits.com horizontal grinding attachment. This attachment
will cut your work down tremendously.
- Once
the od of the knife is semi-finished start either slack belt sanding
or disk grinding the handle slabs to match the bolsters. If you
rough the bolsters first you will have less handle material shrinkage
and end up with a better fit. NOTE: Do not sand heavy on the pin
area. This operation like other explained here can be achieved with
a dermal tool or files and sandpaper.
- Once
the handles are shaped to your liking, start hand finishing the
knife. A sanding block with sand paper wrapped around it will help
in this operation.
- Chamfer
your thong tubing with a battery drill on slow speed at this time.
Slow speed will not allow the chamfer tool to chatter. You can polish
the inside of the thong tubing using a split mandrel with s piece
of sand paper in the slit. This operation works well in a drill
press or with a hand held drill.
Notes:
If you want a hand rubbed blade do this operation before assembly.
After finishing wrap the blade with masking tape to preserve your
hand rub. Do not get the masking tape in the way of your bolster
assembly area.
A good
finish for this knife would be to hand rub the handles to the bolster
to a nice 600 grit satin finish. When rubbing the bolsters and handle
materials be sire to make a long hard sanding block. Keep the block
on the bolster and handle material at all times when sanding. This
will not allow the softer handle material to sand lower than the
bolster which is harder, making a good seamless finish for your
knife.
Support
can be found at: www.knifekits.com
We have a faq section on our site that answers many frequently asked
questions.
For live answers visit our kit making forum at: http://www.knifenetwork.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?forumid=19
Orders can be placed over the phone at 770-599-8012 or visit our
web store at www.knifekits.com
24 hours a day seven days a week. We accept all major credit cards.
If you have questions or need additional help, please see our running
FAQ
and discussion forum for more instructions and modification
advice.
