How to peen handle pins

I dont have any pics but the type of thing I am talking about can be seen on early Puma knives.That is where I got the idea.
 
You guys make it way harder than it needs to be, but if it works for you that's OK.
You really don't need domed stakes, or even a ball peen hammer. I do more peening in a day than most people do in several months, so there is some experience here that some may not have.
Flush peening is pretty easy-you should very slightly countersink your holes. Domed rivets were usually done by peening and then polishing the rivet head on a buffer.
You can make various sized cupped punches to round rivet heads. I work with all sizes of pin stock, so I have many specialized tools. If you are just peening a couple of sizes, all that is not necessary.
One of the videos previously mentioned prompted me to make a very crude video showing how easy it is to peen. It apparently ticked the cutler (and he is a good one) off and he stopped posting here. It took him something like 30 minutes to peen one pin, and I told him it shouldn't take more than 3 minutes. He said it was impossible. I like a challenge, so I put on my video glasses that don't exactly match my focal point, and peened a brass pin through a piece of mother of pearl and brass.
So-here's another very crude video to prove my point:
 
tattooedfreak said:
If you use the peen of the hammer, you will make yourself hit lightly in order to not smash the handle, this gives you the control to keep it on target. If you only have a flat surface to lay your handle/pin on, find a slightly rounded piece of metal (solid) and flatten one end (to rest on the "anvil"). Or if you have a railroad rail, the top may be curved enough to isolate just the pin. I epoxy first with temporary pins and once it is clamped and set for a few minutes, i remove the pins and wait for the handle to cure. Once done, I clear out the holes and use pins just over the size I want, glue and place. Once these are cured I start peening. Once one side is started, I flip over and see how much is on the other side and file it down if needed, then peen that side and switch back and forth till complete. You have to make a choice when to stop or you will crack your handle and get very annoyed.
Click to expand...
caveman use big hammer,caveman take big swing,caveman hit hard.
peening takes a few tries to get it right when you have a lack of experience the first few will crack or be too loose that's the only thing I would add to the solid post you made.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top