Peening and making it flush ?

A maker said it took him 20 minutes to peen a pin. I said he should be able to do it in 3 minutes. He and some others got indignant, said it was impossible.
So I put on some video glasses with the focal point in the wrong place and did it in less than 3 minutes-even after dropping the first pin. I used pearl to up the ante a little.
 
anvilring said:
Do you really believe that knives shipped in the 1860s and 70s from Sheffield with mother of pearl and ivory scales were shipped with cracked scales? The answer is of course - no. So that means someone peened them doesn't it?
Click to expand...

Never said they weren't peened or they shipped them cracked, did I? That'd be silly. They could have cracked after shipping when those natural materials encountered any of the various conditions that make natural materials move.

And that could have been days later or years later. I can recall several instances of makers AND collectors I know that had a crack develop in an ivory or pearl handle that wasn't there originally. Some on high end collector pieces that were never used.

To blame the maker/user is silly. It was because a pin was peened and the material moved. Simple as that.
 
rynegold2007... That's my handle on Instagram. Have a look at the last two videos I put on, those are of the rivets that I put on that little nNessmuk skinner.

And a thumbs-up to Bill DeShivs..... I'm with youu on 3 minutes or less.

Bill! :thumbsup:
 
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When dealing with fragile handle materials i prefer not having the holes too tight, and just relay on the chamfered end as "hold down"...acting like a screw, not the pin bulk becoming a solid piece with the scale.
Peening gently helps not swelling the pin bulk inside the hole...the idea is to allow for a minimal shrinking of the material. If the material can move it can also follow the path of less resistance. Take your time and develope the feeling for the materials; if only 3 minutes or 20 it doesn't really matter. Know when to stop! Avoid sharp transitions in the bottom of your holes chamfers.
Peen just as necessary to stop scale's movement...you don't want them tight, just not loose... they are not going anywhere.
Thin scales will swell less than thick scales toward the pin ends. Keep your materials cool as you drill, sand....all the time.
Cross your fingers ;)
 
anvilring said:
Well they didn't leave Sheffield that way! No sir... The "Little Meisters" of Sheffield peened ANYTHING and did it right. If you see a 150 year old knife w/cracked handle material... you can point a finger at the user; not the maker. That said, here's an album (hopefully you can all see it) of some peening I did today on a "nessmuk" w/ palate oak scales:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/19089828@N00/sets/72157672297631327#

How pins look before peening...

the pin de-burred and ready to peen. by rynegold, on Flickr

How properly "peened" pins look before sanding:

How a "peened" pin looks when it's right. Note the hole/bevel is "filled". by rynegold, on Flickr

The finished product ready to sand then stain.
20181013_151944 by rynegold, on Flickr

It takes practice.. thats why Sheffield had "Meisters", and apprentices. ;-)

I will/can peen anything. Be not afraid. (of MOP!) as for ivory, I find it at least as tough as wood.

just say'n

m
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What you show us is woods handles . Show us how you do same on ivory or on Mother of pearl .....I like to see handle you finished in ivory and mother of pearl ?
This is my first pinned pins , easy to do it in Walnut ,they expand almost double in Dia . but walnut can handle that .... I don t think that I will use same way if I work on ironwood for example or on expensive piece of ivory ...
aIoOQiL.jpg

This pins a pinned until they disappeared into carbon ...But this carbon can handle that .......
A4TE7Nq.jpg

And after little sanding ...they don t expand even fraction of mm in carbon
7OYdbQ4.jpg
 
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Far too many people think peening pins involves expanding the shaft of the pin into the hole. This is NOT the way to peen scales!
While smashing a pin so hard it expands the shaft might be necessary when peening pins in metal-like bolsters, It should NEVER be done when installing handles.
 
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