Drilling holes in the handles for knife.

[SethO]

Say i was using 1/8 inch rod for the pins in a knife handle would i use a smaller drill bit than 1/8 inch? Then i just hammer the pins after i epoxy the handles on or before?

 

[bdmicarta]

The hole needs to be tight but not too tight or you will damage the handle material. Some people will taper the holes so they are bigger on the outside, then they will peen the ends of the brass pins to expand them to fill the holes.

If your holes are a tiny bit larger than the pins, the space will be filled with epoxy and not matter, but depending on the handle material and level of finish the space might or might not be visible and wouldn't be acceptable in an expensive knife.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Your pins should exactly fit the holes in the tang.
Pins are peened on the ends. If you try to swell the pin on the shaft, it will probably bend. This is a common mistake.
Use a very small hammer with light taps and form a slight head on the end of the pins.
No epoxy or other glue is needed on a properly pinned handle.

 

[SethO]

Thanks for all the help, just trying to get all my information right before i start making one.