Do you use a Pin Press for bolsters?

[PEU]

Reviving an old thread of mine, because I had a breakage yesterday.

This time is about the math of purchasing a small dedicated press for pressing 304 stainless steel bolsters.

I ruined a near $1000 knife in a bad blow, I would like to know if using a small press to press a 304 SS steel pin into the same steel bolster is a sound idea, I can spend the money if the solution is sound and removes the hammer violence out of the equation.

Luckily this happened less than 5 times in more than 10 years of knifemaking, but my knives are getting more expensive and I'm ready to up my bolster game if the idea is sound.

What do you guys think or know about this? TIA

Pablo

The pain photos:

 

[Hengelo_77]

I'm a bit flabbergasted
How much force do you use?
I make slipjoints and have a 3mm V2A~304ss pin disappear in a V2A~304ss bolster.
It just takes a few blows, to much would bind up the knife.
I use a 1:50 reamer and give it one 360 turn before peening.
I did a test and stood with my full body weight on a construction trying to pull that pin back through the hole, but it stayed put .

 

[C_Claycomb]

How many of the solutions that folk suggested eight years ago did you try?

The tapered drill shown earlier looked like it would give too big a hole if used to go through most of the bolster thickness. Do you still use that drill?

I think you should build the press. Not because it’s needed to pin bolsters in a general sense, but because the idea has been gnawing at you, and your current method carries a risk that has not been eliminated through practice or the intention of care. It will continue to gnaw at you till you try it, and building one will eliminate the risk.

Maybe take photos and post the progress here?

 

[ea42]

I've used a hammer, a small foot operated pneumatic press, and a massive hydraulic press for fixed blade bolster pins. They all come out the same. The key is your guard/bolster hole (make it tight) and your countersink (steeply tapered, not wide) for hiding the pins. The one pictured in the previous post by LARRYZ10 would be perfect. I usually make my own out of drill bits to pretty much that identical taper. Don't go too shallow on that countersink either, 1/16" wouldn't be a problem and it gives you room to grind off material. Not sure what kind of hammer you're using on those pins but methinks it's a bit too large if you can break a blade with it. Never seen that before. Also not sure if a bottle jack press would give you decent results, you need an awful lot of pressure at that slow rate to spread the pins enough.

Eric

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Peen the pins so that the heads swell, not the shank. It doesn't require brute force-just finesse.