Pins ... done incorrectly

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daily_grind

Joined
Apr 5, 2024
Messages
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I've had a bad couple of days. First, I was repairing a slipjoint pocketknife, and when I peened the pin, it seemed like it went well, it polished up nicely, but when I opened the blade a couple of times ... it started to show slightly. Next, I tried to do new scales on a fixed blade. I put stainless steel pins in, but bent one :(.

Both times I had the pins sticking out about one pin diameter (1/8" pin, sticking out 1/8" on either side for the fixed blade ... 5/32" for the pocket knife.). Stainless steel was not fun compared to German silver.

Oh, also I used maple for the first time on a belt sander ... that stuff burns pretty easily. :(
 
1) You don't need that much sticking out. 1/2 pin diameter is plenty.
2) Don't hit hard ... tap the pin with a polished small ball peen hammer.
3) Work the center of the pin to make it spread out. It doesn't take much to make it tight.
4) Use a head spinner to finish the pin once peened.
 
Ok - thanks. I had been hitting them with ... fury.
1/2 pin diameter ... cool.

I use a small ball-peen (pein?) hammer ... should I *only* use the peen, or should I use the flat side first (or at all)?

Do head spinners make the pins dome shaped? For this knife I had been going for flush ...
 
daily_grind said:
Ok - thanks. I had been hitting them with ... fury.
1/2 pin diameter ... cool.

I use a small ball-peen (pein?) hammer ... should I *only* use the peen, or should I use the flat side first (or at all)?

Do head spinners make the pins dome shaped? For this knife I had been going for flush ...
Click to expand...

Non ball side.

Are you tapering the bore?
 
If rounding the pin head, use the polished ball face.
If spreading the pin for a flush fit in a tapered hole, use the polished flat face.

Tapering the hole with a precision reamer is very important. This allows the whole pin to expand and lock the scale down tight.
 
I have a rat-tail file that I sort of try to work with ... but a precision reamer seems like it would be a more appropriate tool.
I'm going to have to practice some self discipline and hit the pin lighter than I have been hitting it.
Until you guys mentioned the head spinner, I had never heard of one. I'll have to see if there are some vids on YouTube or something.

A local knifeworker friend of mine also mentioned that I should exercise the joints on the slipjoint before finally peening the pins - I noticed that after I had put it together and peened it ... that the pin seemed to move somewhat, making the edges more visible.

Many thanks!
 
Peened pivot pins are something you sneak up on. It should be just a tad too tight when done. Then some lube and working the blade will loosen it up. A head spinner is usually for scale pins, not pivots.
 
Ok - for pivot pins, many light taps until it is a smidge too tight ... then a drop or so of oil and exercise the joint ... then(?) polish the pin down to the bolster?
 
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