Question For pin peen guys -

[rlinger]

I am thinking seriously about discontinuing epoxy and solder for affixing bolsters. I have spoken to a accomplished gun maker / beginning knife maker and think I understand some of the basics involved to do this correctly. My one outstanding question at this time is how best to perform the peening. I doubt I would begin with stainless pins. They would probably be brass, N/S, copper, the such. Stainless can come later with experience. I'm thinking just use the 1 ton arbor press and beat the hell out of the press shaft with a weighted rubber mallet(?). How do you guys prefer to peen the pins?

Thanks.

RL

[Kit Carson]

Roger,
I use a tapered reamer to ream the holes thru the bolsters and then a small ball peen hammer. Rule of thumb is the length that sticks out is half the diameter of the pin. You can make them invisible this way.

[rlinger]

Kit,

Yeah, I was advised about the taper. Taper from the face side of bolster so the hole diameter becomes smaller toward the tang face of bolster (right?).

That's super good info Kit on how much pin to leave above face of bolster. Thanks. That was a question I had not yet thought of.

Kit, do you prefer this method of bolster attachment more so than silver soldering?

RL

[peter nap]

I am thinking seriously about discontinuing epoxy and solder for affixing bolsters

Good for you Rodger. I am certainly no Kit Carson but I prefer a mechanical connection. I have mixed success making them invisible but if everything works, they are nearly impossible to find. Remember to try to buy your pins and bolster stock from the same lots. It goes a long way toward making an unseen pin.

The hammer I use is a little bigger than my chasing hammer. I used to use my 16 oz BP but found it just made a mess of everything.
Good luck!

[John Andrews]

Roger, I'm gonna jump in here, too. I pien with a small ball pien hammer. I am not satisfied with all my pien jobs, and am considering using hidden pins altogether, just like the hidden pins and the 'Glas for scales. With accurate hidden pin holes and threaded, plus the 'Glas, it should be foolproof. Hence, only hidden holes not running clear through the bolsters, only about half way through from the inside (tang) side. I have been glassing and pinning because It seems quite a bit of heat, even for low temp solder, when soldered. That's probably your worry, too, the temp on a finished blade.

[rlinger]

No, actually I have no real worry about how I've been doing it. Its been just fine after some experience. The one thing I don't like about silver solder is the acid cleanup; and also there is the need to leave enough clearence for the solder to wet between the bolster and tang. I have discovered tricks to that using the mill, but that's alot of extra time. Using the correct epoxy and the correct technique locks the bolsters on too. I think I would like to retire the use of expoxy on bolsters and default to the use of pins with silver soldering on occasions. I have to remember though, I have never peened my first set of bolsters. I may not be so found of it after trying it.

RL

[mete]

If your going to peen ,make sure the metal is fully annealed.A small ball peen is all you need.

[jhiggins]

Also, Roger, don't be afraid of stainless pins. If annealed, they are soft as butter.

[indian george]

This is what I use for bolster. It is a 9 ton enerpac press
http://www.indiangeorgesknives.com/images/ws3.jpg

[Lynn]

One thing that made a difference in the peening SS pins was to polish the ball of the ball peen hammer. Once the ball was even and polished the peening went much better.
I do tend to be a 'belt & suspenders' kind of guy I epoxy the guard, hammer it closer then pin and peen.
Just what I do, Lynn

[Mike Hull]

Before you run the taper pin reamer in, drip some Dykem in the bolster holes. The purpose of that is, you do NOT want to ream all the way to the bottom of the hole, and the dykem will allow you to stop short of the bottom. If you do go all the way down, you will never get the same diameter base hole on the other holes, and when you set the pins, the bolster(s) can move.

Just leave a small bit at the bottom the size that you drilled originally.

Here are the sizes I use.
1/16" = 6/0 Reamer

3/32" = 4/0 Reamer

1/8" = 2/0 Reamer p/n = 02400992 @ MSC
These are all straight flute taper pin reamers, and I got them from MSC.

[Sando]

Roger,

Everybody has passed on good advice (as always). I had the same fears, but it's easier than I thought. FWIW Here's my process (most of this you know, but for the lurkers .... ):


Superglue one rough bolster in place and drill thru the tang hole, thru the bolser. Pop it off and do the other bolster.

Now run pins thru the bolsters (without the tang!) hold together with a C clamp and finish the front edge on the grinder/buffer.

Using a counter-sink bit, flare out the end of the holes on the visible side. (Mike's reamers is probably better, but you use what you got.) I go about 1/16 - 1/8" deep.

Make pins. They should be the minimum length + pin diameter. (Actually I make 'em a tad longer than that, probably minimum + 2 * pin diameter.)

taper the ends of the pins. Not to a point, but just a little. The problem you're solving is the pins mushroom on the end. After a while that mushroom starts to curl over and dents the bolsters. By tapering you don't get that effect so bad. Sand the pins to very, very smooth! Put in a hand drill and polish with 320 or finer grit. Clean the pins and the bolster holes with brake cleaner or acetone. (Clean, polished pins are the trick!)

Take a piece of thin cardboard (like the back of a note pad) and make a little hole in it just bigger than the pin. Place than on your bench anvil or vice anvil or something. Assemble the bolsters and put it on the cardboard with one pin in the hole. This keeps the pins from moving back up into the bolsters. I also fine a way to clamp the whole thing together while setting the pins and using the corner of the anvil.

Tap, tap, tap on the pin. Keep flipping the knife over to try and keep the pin centered. After a while the pin and bolsters and tang will tighten up a bit.

Switch to a new pin.

Once all the pins are set and the bolsters are tight, get a bigger hammer.

Smash the hell out of it.

(I once had a bolster that didn't tighten up on me. I thought I'd have to grind it off. In frustration I just kept pounding. hahahahaha got a great fit and that sucker is WELDED on there. So as long as you're not striking the bolsters and deforming them, keep pounding that pin!)

Grind down and polish.

I'm sure the pros will have better methods. Just letting you know what works for me.

Steve

PS, as mentioned SS is not a problem. I use 416 for everything. I don't think brass or NS would be any easier. Heck, might even be harder the way I do it.

[Possum]

Howdy There....!
I compleltely agree with Sando, his system of peening bolster pins the same as I use. Attended a class by George Herron and Geno Denning, and they do the same thing. The only diference that they do is use a tapered ream for the hole for the outside of the bolsters and put a small countersink edge on the top of the hole. The pins will vanish...! Just make sure that the bolsters are seated good on your tang. Good luck, it not that hard.

Thomas "Possum" CLegg

[Peter Del Raso]

The method Sando described is the best. If you don't have a reamer, make one from a slightly bigger drill bit than the one used to drill the pin holes. I use 1/8'' to ream a 1/32" hole. Grind a long taper on the shank of the larger drill bit then polish it. Set the opposite end in a piece of dowell so you have a handle. When your holes are drilled use the polished taper to burnish the inside of the holes. This does not remove metal but does spread it enough to give you a nice taper.

Make sure you grind your guard/bolsters to near finished size before you cut your pins, also make sure you champher the ends of your pins as mentioned (very important) Once the pins have been peened, clamp the bolsters now on your blade in your vice between some leather or timber scraps and peen the tops and bottoms of your bolsters onto the blade. This will give you a perfect fit, just be carefull not to remove too much material during final cleanup.

Forget about brass, go straight to 416 stainless. The stuff spreads like butter.

[John Andrews]

This has been most excellent thread, Roger. I'm picking up some great tips from these guys, too. The 416 stainless pins sounds really inviting, too. I've been using NS for pins, and sometimes that stuff can be difficult to pin the way I want it to go, because of not preparing the ends of the pins before peening. You guys are good!

[Sando]

Great tip Peter! Thanks. I'm makin' one of those.

Steve

[rlinger]

Wonderful stuff. I can not say my question has not been answered, and well.

I take it I should strive to keep the excess pin length minimum, such as Terry described (aprrox. 1/2 pin diameter).

Now, do any of you like peening some of the more delicate scale materials, such as ivory?

RL

[Sando]

Roger

The issue with pin length (I believe) is you don't want it bending over. You want no chance to do anything but expand. For me if it's an 1/8" pin, I like an 1/8" protruding on both sides.

Try it on some scrap.

Don't even ask me about delicate materials!

Steve

[Mike Hull]

I would never peen the pins on handle material. Just epoxy the pins at the same time you epoxy the scales on. Peening that type of material is just asking for a split scale.

[MACK1]

I just finished my first bolster application and it was, at the very least, a learning experience!
I made the blosters, as well.

The pins can be seen, but as long as the Owner of the knife isn't concerned, neither am I.

For the time being.

I feel the results could've been better.

I did use a countersink on the outside of the bolsters, but I find myself wishing I'd had a tapered reamer.
Next time for sure!