Facing some difficulties with handle pinning

S

Steinmann

Joined
Jan 12, 2010
Messages
99
I will appreciate some help here, as the nickel silver "head" that I've made with the hammer is splitting on the edges of the "mushroom". I'm afraid that polishing down all the cracks of that head will also take off to much material, making the pined head not able to hold the slabs. Any ideas? Thanks a lot – Michael.
 
Either you are leaving too much pin sticking up when you pein it, or it is too hard when you pein it. Try annealing the ends of the pins then peining them. Anneal similar to copper, heat to dull red to red and quench quickly in water.

-Xander
 
I dont know your experience level,but if you are a newbe like me starting over is sometimes the thing to do.I have tried brass , aluminum and copper. They all act a little different.
Eddie
 
if they can be removed at this point i'd remove them, cut new ones so that you have approximately .020" sticking out, countersink the pin hole and then anneal them as fast14 said. if they cant be removed file em down and cross your fingers.
leif
 
Anytime you peen a pin of any metal, rounding the edge off the pin will greatly reduce splitting of the formed head, but definitely anneal also. It is not necessary to quench in the anneal process except to cool the pin so you can get back to work without burning your fingers. Rule of thumb with pin length. The pin needs to be above the hole the diameter of the pin.
 
Last edited:
LRB has it right: after you cut it to length, round the sharp edge with a sander or file- it keeps the cracks from starting so easily since the edge of the peened head isn't so thin and fragile.
 
If the edges are cracking, you are peening too much. Usually, there is no need to anneal pins.
 
One more thought... you might be overestimating how much spread you need in the peened ends to get good mechanical support. If your counterunk hole is too wide the metal has to spread too far, and will be more thin and fragile around the edges, leading to splits. The spread at the peened ends doesn't need to be large . . . just large enough so the pin can't move. A tiny difference in width can accomplish that, and the smaller the delta in size the less prone it will be to splitting.
 
Oh, and be sure to use a tapered reamer on the scale holes- only takes a second and makes for much smoother riveting.
 
Which end of the hammer head are you using? I guess it's the common way to use the round end. I always used the flat end , and never tappered my holes. The "invisible" pins happened most often. Frank
 
In 'smithing it's pretty much standard practice to use the peen or rounded end for spreading and the flat for upsetting.
In other words, the flat pushes the pin down and spreads it to fill the hole, thickening the shaft of the pin, and the rounded peen or ball end spreads the end of the rivet, forming a head.
If you do use a tapered reamer, it's important to use the flat of the hammer and give it enough whack to upset or thicken the pin beneath the surface of the scale. That way you can sand the pin flush and still get holding power.
If you're just heading the pin, the ball is more efficient, but the flat of the hammer works ok too as long as it's smooth and somewhat domed, and is probably more controllable for most people and less likely to mar the scale. Think of it as a very large diameter ball end...almost any metalworking hammer should be dressed that way, with a slight dome.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top