Handle pin question

[Svashtar]

Hey guys,

Have a bunch of knives but am a newb with working on them at best.

I have some nice purpleheart (padauk) and am rehandling an old Cleaver that belonged to my mother in law. I have the cleaver cleaned up and am ready to go.

The tang is predrilled where the old corroded pins once were. The old pins fitted one inside the other, and had heads on them, which makes sense, and you would insert them from each side, but normally I don't think that's the case with handle pins. (?)

Now here's the dumb question: What purpose do the pins serve, if I'm just running them through the handle and the wood in one piece?

I could just epoxy the slabs on and shape them with my grinder correct? I would like to have the look of new pins, but they are just going to be held in with the same epoxy that holds the handle slabs, right?

Should I make the pins oversize and force them in somehow, or is the idea to peen them over on each side after getting them inserted, in order to secure the handle?

You would think this would be obvious, and probably is to all of you, but thanks for any info.

Once I get this old one rehandled I can work up the nerve to try some replacement handles on some other nicer knives.

Thanks very much for your help.

Norm

P.S. You know I leaped before I looked. Should not do that on any new forum. I just saw Dan's post here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=452465

Let me take a look there, and if I still don't get it I'll get back to you.

Thanks and sorry for what is probably a question you've heard a million times already...!

N.

 

[roughedges]

that sounds like they were probably cutler's rivets and are friction fit so basically what you want is very tight tolerances. I'd use epoxy too though, I think.


But bear in mind, I am not a knifemaker!


edit: think of that kind of rivet like, ummm, the male and female side of the same pin. you would drill the hole large enough for the larger (female) side to fit into the handle snugly and hammer or press the male side in. usually this kind of rivet has a flat head on it. if you're going to use straight pins, you'll need to peen it. and I know that a lot of knife makers use a tapered burr or reamer to enlarge the hole on the tang side of the handle material. this gives the pin somewhere to go when its being peened.


hehe. and I just saw your bold an italisized disclaimer. only took me 3 looks!

 

[GibsonFan]

check the sticky thread for tons of resources, suppliers and tutorials.

The rivet style pins that you found on there are still used, I'll be darned if I can think of the name for them right now though. You'll find them if you browse through the suppliers' websites in that link.

LOL never mind, ya figured out where to look on your own

 

[Svashtar]

that sounds like they were probably cutler's rivets and are friction fit so basically what you want is very tight tolerances. I'd use epoxy too though, I think.


But bear in mind, I am not a knifemaker!


edit: think of that kind of rivet like, ummm, the male and female side of the same pin. you would drill the hole large enough for the larger (female) side to fit into the handle snugly and hammer or press the male side in. usually this kind of rivet has a flat head on it. if you're going to use straight pins, you'll need to peen it. and I know that a lot of knife makers use a tapered burr or reamer to enlarge the hole on the tang side of the handle material. this gives the pin somewhere to go when its being peened.


hehe. and I just saw your bold an italisized disclaimer. only took me 3 looks!

I appreciate your feedback just the same. I have seen several guys just run a piece of rod through, and wondered what good it did if they had to drill the hole clean through at that diameter. Peening it over makes sense. I just have some 1/4" stainless rod I was hoping to use. I also have some threaded rod of the same diameter and that might work better...

Thanks again.

Norm

 

[Svashtar]

check the sticky thread for tons of resources, suppliers and tutorials.

The rivet style pins that you found on there are still used, I'll be darned if I can think of the name for them right now though. You'll find them if you browse through the suppliers' websites in that link.

LOL never mind, ya figured out where to look on your own

Thank you!

 

[Gene Martin]

You might consider mosaic pins and just epxying them and the handles. The oiece should not be put in a dishwasher, since most epoxies break down around 165-170 degrees. If you use regular pins , with regular pins being piened or cutlers rivets or corby bolts, you can do it w/o epoxy.

I personally would just epoxy the handles on and epoxy the pins in. That's just m, and I am a knifemaker.

Gene

 

[GibsonFan]

...I have seen several guys just run a piece of rod through, and wondered what good it did if they had to drill the hole clean through at that diameter...
Norm

I like straight pin stock in holes the same size just fine. I don't peen it, I cut a couple little grooves across the pin with a triangle file or Dremel, this leaves places for the epoxy to get into... and rough up the surface of the pin with sandpaper, this gives me a little clearance between the pin and the sides of the hole, also for the epoxy. Guess what the secret weapon is? I do the same thing with thong tube and mosaic pins, but I'm real careful not to cut the little slots through the thin wall

There are many viable ways to keep a handle stuck where it belongs, this is only one way.