Bolster Removal

[Dacks]

A client has sent me two camp-kitchen knife blades to which he wants handles and "sheaths" made. I have been given "free reign" on design and materials.To my surprise, both knives arrived with bolster attached, ground and polished.

While the bolsters wouldn't look to bad if done a bit better, they are not in keeping with the design I had in mind for this project. As well, the front face of these bolsters are not well done with deep scratches and discoloration on both sets.

I have never been faced with having to remove bolsters from a finished blade and I'm a bit apprehensive about tackling this without a bit of advice. To me, they look to be just soldered on without the use of pins

So.... how would this be done without over-heating(through grinding) or damaging these blades.

Here the pics:

 

[Rudy Joly]

If they really are soldered heres how I've had to do it. It worked really well.

I heat up two 1/4 x 1 bars of steel in my forge (any scrap will do) to cherry red and used them like barbique tongs on each side of the bolsters till you see either the joint open up or some weeping from the solder. You could just heat up a pair of tongs also.
Before doing this I would give the bolsters a grind just to make sure there are no pins to punch out.

Rudy

 

[stabber]

Use a thin flat chisel in the center and pound it off from back to front in the center of the blade