Hidden Pins

[John Cahoon]

Didja ever have a set of scales so spectacular that installing visible pins would be almost criminal?.... yeah me either. Didja ever grind an index finger groove higher after heat treat and now find that the front pin hole is too low? Uhhhh yeeeah.

Lets talk hidden pins. The custom search engine had a few posts dating back a ways, with plenty of pros and about as many against, primarily if you can't see it ain't there. A few argued reduced strength as well. I personally like the clean look, at least in my head. Since those posts are now 3+ years old I was wondering about current thought.

My plan would be to used threaded rod and drill as close as I dare to the outer surface of each scale , leaving enough meat on the scale for finishing. Epoxy them up and good to go. Any thoughts, tips, dire warnings?

Thanks fellas

 

[i4Marc]

I use hidden pins, stainless threaded rod(stainless screws with the heads removed). Like you, I bring them as close to the outer surface as I dare. I also undercut the pin holes so that the epoxy locks into the hole. This is in conjunction with additional glue chambers (undercut like the pin holes) and holes through the tang for epoxy to pass through the tang and bind both sides together. I haven't seen a failure yet, for whatever that is worth. The epoxy I use is T88 from System Three.

 

[Natlek]

I use hidden pins, stainless threaded rod(stainless screws with the heads removed). Like you, I bring them as close to the outer surface as I dare. I also undercut the pin holes so that the epoxy locks into the hole. This is in conjunction with additional glue chambers (undercut like the pin holes) and holes through the tang for epoxy to pass through the tang and bind both sides together. I haven't seen a failure yet, for whatever that is worth. The epoxy I use is T88 from System Three.

Why not cut the appropriate thread into the tang for threaded screws/pin ? I think three or four millimeters deep holes in the scale are enough , pins most carry vertical forces on scale . . .. .

 

[LARRYZ10]

I have tried this a couple times and I used a Forstner bit drill into the scales about a 1/4 inch. then I used a trapezoid shaped dremel tool grinder bit to cut the bottom of the holes larger so that when both scales and tang are viewed cross section the holes look like hourglass shaped holes. Then I cut pieces of 8-32 screw thread to fit between the holes and I know they probably will not settle straight perpendicular to the tang but I don't care because this is my steel reinforcing of the hole. Fill the hole with epoxy and coat the scales and lightly clamp. This has been a success for me each time I did it but in MY OPINION the knives don't look right and don't look as strong as putting in some simple pins. On large camp knives I still do this in the center on the tang for extra strength but I don't like the look of unpinned knives. Larry

 

[jdm61]

I haven't tried this yet because I have really not done full tang knives until recently and I discovered the cool little 1/8 inch head micro-corby bolts. But what occurred to me was that you can pretty much do as many hidden pins as you like. I have talked to some guys who use hidden pins on metal bolsters and they used a diamond burr to expand the bottom of the hole so what when the peen, the pin expands into that little pocket. Of course, you had better have your pins the EXACT length that they need to be in order to do that!

 

[jdm61]

I actually like the look of an unpinned hidden tang knife and I have done a fair number of small hunters and wa handled kitchen knives with no pins, but with big knives, they all either got a pin or a buttcap that was screwed onto the end of the tang in some manner.