Pins vs. Corbys

J

JOHN HARDIN

Joined
Jun 16, 2010
Messages
3
Hi all,
I am brand new to knife making and am deciding on pins vs. corbys for my first handle assembly. Any ideas or pros and cons would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
Pros:
Corby Bolts - Rock solid; attractive; self clamping.
Pins - Cheap; simple.

Cons:
Corby - Requires a step drill or counterbore.
Pins - Less secure if just glued; Risk of splitting scales if peened.

There is no comparison between the quality of Corby vs pins - Corby bolts win hands down.
 
I agree , corbys are great and very clean looking. I started using them on my fillet knives as the flex in them always seemed to start lifting the scales at the ricasso. After installing the corby bolts there was no more problems. After that I used them on a lot more applications . Paul
 
Starting new I would suggest pins, It would be a real heatbreak to mess up your first handle trying to fit Corby bolts, It takes a bit of figuring to get the right depth. Pins will serve you well until you get a few knives under your belt.
 
Either one works well be as has been said, pins are easier. It takes some getting use to to properly peen them. Once peened they are very secure. I've made many a large fixed blade that have been beat on and the scales hold fine.
Scott
 
I agree with Stacy that bolts are more secure however pins do have some advantages:

- Greater choice of materials.

- Greater choice of size and thus placement.

Of course these change the artistic options, not the functional ones.

I'll have to try bolts one of these days. As it happens I have a few pairs each
of Loveless and Acorn bolts but no Corbys. Are the Corbys functionally
superior to the others?
 
Functionally? well, probably not much difference there.
Looks wise and for installation ease (after the seats are drilled) I favor Corby bolts far more than Loveless or Acorn.

As far as scale drilling problems...... If you use a drill press, and think about what you are doing, then is is a fairly simple process to drill the seated holes.
 
Thanks Stacy. I'll probably order some Corbys after the ones I have run out. Bet I can't get them in copper though :grumpy: (To be fair, I probably can't get any more of the others in copper either.)
 
Alligators. . . Planks. . .glue breaking. . . .pins falling out. . .falling to my death. . . .Yeah, corby's are the ticket for a secure handle. Definitely agree with Stacy on this one. My last two practice knives have had all the pins come loose and I have since replaced with one type of bolt or another.
 
Bolts get my vote. I find it a lot easier and less time consuming than pins. Although on certain handle materials / or period knives I prefer pins. However, a user in my opinon gets corbys and Micarta.
 
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Just to throw in a third option, how about flared tubing? I've only used it once, but it worked like a charm. It was on a very light use knife though.
 
I definitely like corby's but I also like to use simple pins. I always epoxy every handle regardless of the pins used but feel I am doing it more as a moisture barrier when using the corby's. When using pins I always shallow countersink the holes on the back sides of the scales to allow for the pin to expand when peened. Since starting this I have only cracked one handle. I really peen the pins good too. I also wait until the epoxy has fully cured before peening, I figure doing so makes the possibility of splitting less.
 
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