Knifemakers - Got Poured Pewter?

[Greg Walden]

I'm starting a new knife project, and instead of a guard I want to do a poured pewter bolster. Anyone ever done that?

I vaguely know that I have to form some sort of mold (maybe thin brass sheeting or even aluminum foil), but how do I fasten that to the handle? The handle is a stag antler base with crown; the tang is a small rectangular tang that will be pinned up inside the handle.

Do I pour the bolster with the blade already in place, or put a dummy tang in the hole and insert the knife tang after the bolster is poured?

How do I fasten the mold to the irregular antler so the pewter won't go running down the handle?

Thanks for any tips,
Greg

 

[hornbuilder]

Fla. Flinter:}
i'm glad you asked that question, i can't tell you a damn thing on the subject though :sorry: but i'm really interested to find out how to do pewter inlays as much as you . hopefully someone on the forum will be able to help :redface:

 

[Delta Factor]

This is the way I've seen it done:

1. attach the handle to the knife, leaving room for the bolster.

2. depending on your knife, you may have to file the tang narrower, so the pewter will completely surround the tang and be seamless when finished.

3. wrap the top of the handle in poster board or something similar and tape it shut to form a tube around where the bolster will be.

4. pour in the molten pewter to the proper depth and let cool.

5. file/scrape/sand the pewter to shape.

 

[crockett]

Can you make a fake wood handle just for pouring the pewter and then remove it and put on the stag? Beware of air holes, pour slow. When someone says "bolster" I think of a full tang knife with slab handles and then two small sections pinned and/or soldered in front of the slabs. If your bolster is more like a washer with a stick tang going through it, can you pour the bolster seperately? Do I sound like a kill-joy? Pouring pewter can be a mess. If your bolster is a washer type affair, maybe brass would be better.

 

[vradin]

How do I fasten the mold to the irregular antler so the pewter won't go running down the handle?

I've never done it, but did watch my father pour a pewter bolster on an antler handle a couple of times. The memory ain't what it used to was, but as I recall he made the mold using clay from a ceramics shop. There was a large lump to hold the handle and blade upright, and a 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick slab formed the bolster shape slightly oversized to allow for clay shrinkage from the heat. He pressed the clay well into the antler at least 1/2 way down so there was no drip. The entire slabbed area was wrapped with thin sheet (brass?) and held with some radiator-type clamps to add extra support. I don't remember him having to do much clean-up on the antler, not sure about the rest of the finishing.

Hope this helps, and makes sense
vic

 

[MickyWise]

Delta pretty much nailed it. First advice....get the pewter hotter than just melting temp. This will take care of most of the air pocket problems. The pewter will stay in the molten state long enough for the air to escape. Second advice....pour fast but carefully, hot pewter and human flesh just don't mix. If you need more help feel free to e-mail me and I'll walk you through it.

 

[J.M.]

I just poured a pewter bolster on a stick tang knife. The handle was a deer leg bone. I glued the tang into the bone and let it set up for a couple days. There was a space at the top of the bone for the pewter, and in the tang I had drilled a hole for the pewter to go through for a mechanical bond. I used heavy brown paper for a form, wrapped around the bone and then wrapped duct tape around the paper. Heated the pewter up and poured off the slag (two old spoons were used as ladles). When the slag was gone, I poured quick and then let cool. The surface looked frosted, no big voids though, and it cleaned up easy with sandpaper. I was pretty happy with my first attempt and will use it again. Good luck!

 

Here is some info in black and white
Pouring Pewter

- couple of notes:
1) I use manila file folder material for the "mold"
2) Like Micky said (hey Micky this Chuck from Wild Rose) - the pouring temp is best about 50 degrees above the melting point.
3) Preheat the blade and grip area bit with a hair dryer on high - DO NOT use a paint stripper - too hot.
4) If/When doing a blind pour such as for inlays or the following "blind bolster" cut a hole 3/8 to 1/2" diameter in the "mold" and tape a funnel on to the hole. Then opposite the funnel take a small pin and punch a pinhole there for the air to escape. Also when pouring a fairly thin inlay or blind bolster drill some small holes at an angle into the grip material for extra hold.

Hope this helps.....

 

[MickyWise]

Also if the antler is the least bit green get ready for it to shrink a bit as it cools....might even leave a gap between it and the pewter. So make sure the antler is good and dry.

Hey Chuck, hows it going?

 

[Huntinfool]

Hey Fellers JM and Graywolf hit the nail on the head I've seen business cards and brown paper bags as well as light card board used for the mold material. Taped on with any basic kind of tape.

Chuck

 

[bob1961]

where can pewter be bought to make stuff....i'm looking to make a pewter nose cap fer my lancaster....or can i melt down some pewter figurines i might find cheaply...........bob

 

[newt]

Bob,
I just did my first pour ever a week or so back.
I used 95/5 solder.
I laid papers down on the work bench/maple dining table and used a coffee can to melt and pour out of.
I made a dent in the can at the top to use as a spout.
I use pliers to hold the can while I poured.
My knife was held inside another coffee can with soft tie wire, so it didn't move during the pour and the can would hold any spillage.
I poured it FAST all at once.
One thing I would do again different is I should have used my heat gun to warm the area I was pouring, I would have got better flow.
Prep work counts here and everything must be solid so you don't spill hot metal.
Wear safety glasses too.
Remember water and hot metal don't mix.

 

Pewter suppliers:
1) Track of the Wolf
2) www.riogrande.com
3) http://www.purityalloys.com
4) http://www.tekcast.com/casting2.htm

Be aware that when using "used" pewter much of it has lead and/or cadmium so work with in a well ventilated are. Pewter is an alloy of mostly tin with some other additives such as antimony, copper, lead, etc. Babbitt metal is another option for casting and is a bit harder than most of the pewter I've used - it's PC for 1839 and newer - of course if anyone can tell babbitt from pewter by just looking well... eace:

Howdy Micky - doing pretty well - busier than a one legged dog at a flea circus but otherwise OK. Got the sheath done for the one posted above so will post some pics later.

BTW - the best ladle I've found for pouring pewter with is a bottom pour lead ladle with the little teat for pouring. In fact a lead pot works great for melting pewter - it also helps to pre-heat the ladle to keep the heat of the pewter up.

 

[MickyWise]

I bought a stainless steel soup ladle at Wally World and bent the handle back. I also use lead free solder and it seems to work better than pewter...has a higher tencile strength also. Plus you can just run up to Lowes when you run out and get some more. I use a Mapp tourch to heat the ladle.

 

[Greg Walden]

Thanks for all the tips, now I can't wait to try it. Thanks also for the sources of commercial pewter; I live with the Track catalog but never thought to look there.

Regards,
Greg

 

Another source for pewter is yard sales and flea markets. I melt down junk tankards and smushed pieces.

Just :m2c:

 

[nit wit]

On antler I've used aluminum foil doubled up and wrapped around the antler and taped in place, works fine for me.
Stick the handle in sand to hold it upright. :thumbsup:

 

[thehorn]

In place of pewter, which is more expensive & harder to come by, I use wheelweights that I get for free from my local tire center.