Finishing handle pins

H

hellgap

Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
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ide like to know if i m doing this right and if the pins will turn out polished up nice.I have the handle made and have now drilled the holes for the pins through the steel and wood. i left about 1/8 for a brass finger gaurd and if i need more room i can sand the butt of the handle to fit. so i take and fill the hole drilled with epoxy place the knife handle in the wood handle then tap the pins in let it set and sand off the excess pin material.should the pins be kept real short or will they sand off easy and blend in with the polished look. will have to mushroom the ends of the pins before i start .this knife im just using a solid brass 1/8 in rod for pins kellyw
 
Several suggestions. Your process sounds OK. Peen the pins if you want, but it doesn't add much and you run several risks. The epoxy will hold the scales to the tang, and the pins will protect the epoxy from shearing, so you don't really need to peen the pins. If you do, it's pretty easy to get the pins looking out of round, and it's not too hard to crack the scales. As far as how long to leave them, I just cut them off with sidecutter pliers and then file down the rest. Long strokes with a bastard file take the metal off pretty quick. After you get them flush, basically forget they're there and finish the wood to whatever grit you like. I like 400 or 600. Right before you put on your finish (tung oil, CA, whatever), make sure your grit lines are parallel with the blade, and you're good to go.
 
what type of finish is the nicest on maple. its a block i sanded down . i heard boiling in linseedoil is nice. i made my own maple kitchen cupboards of maple i have lots of left overs.now when i finished then i used a hand rub gel stain by minwax called antique maple and then sprayed minwax semi gloss varathane on to protect them. with a knife handle should a person varathane the handle or oil buff it till it shines. thanks kellyw
 
It's called BOILED Linseed oil...DO NOT "BOIL IT IN LINSEED OIL".... That would be dangerous and ruin the handle and epoxy, be safe...
 
linseed oil darkens a bit. But I use it often. It's great if you have the patience do the multiple coats and long dry times.

Tung oil isn't hard, same process but a lot faster. Maple will soak it up, so I dunk and swish for a couple minutes, then give it 5-15 minutes (depending on temperature) and shoeshine buff with a lint free cloth. wait overnight and add a coat with a brush (or qtips in my case) and let it dry for a bit, then shoeshine again.

Oh, pics are around of one I did recently. holler if you want links
 
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thanks rocket man i thought i heard wrong im sure i woulda had a fire lmao ill try tung oil it sounds easier. kellyw
 
i just finished wet sanding the steel to 400 and it came out fairly nice i have some 1000 grit but thats as far as im going i was playing around with my dremel and a buffing disc worked pretty good any better ways cheaper let me know i can almost cut paper like it showed in the video for paper wheels but im still getting one PS i havent used a bandaid yett sure burnt my finger tips though
 
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