bartblade said:
I'm needing some advice. I'm starting on my 3rd folder and i have ran into a snag i'm making it to have a stainless steel handle. The problem is when i peen the blades pivot pin into place the pin ends up turnning with the blade. I know this is not supposed to happen and I don't want to use screws because I can't find the ones that I like and that will look good with the style of the knife.
so if anyone could give me some advice it would be greatly appreciated.
Sounds like you're making a slip joint. Make your pin one diameter longer than the thickness over the bolsters. When inserted, one half of the pin diameter will stick out on each side.
Make yourself a shim out of 0.002" feeler gage stock, and cut a slot almost across it so it will slip past the pin.
Bevel 1/32" inside of the bolster on each side with a spur drill point. The cheap flat drills for wood work fine, and you only need one.
Put the pin in place, slide your shim between the bolster and blade on one side, and start
lightly peening around the end of the pin with the ball end of a small ball peen hammer.
lightly peen in a circle around the edge of the pin.
Turn the knife over and do the same thing on the other side. Check to be sure the shim is free, and repeat as many times as necessary.
The whole idea is to peen only the end of the pin into the small bevel you made in each bolster. If you do this carefully, the center won't swell up and tighten against the hole in the blade.
After you get the slip joint finished, get a copy of "My Way" and learn to make linerlocks and framelocks.
