Scale Pin Spinners

[Diligence]

Hmmm - would love to hear your experiences with home-made spinners for making domes on pin scales. How did you make them, how do you use them...etc....photos too please.

Cheers,
D

 

[Bill DeShivs]

I don't usually use them, as I peen pins by hand with a hammer.
In the cases that a spinner is necessary, I have made them by chucking 1/8" drill rod in my lathe and set up a small ball burr in the tailstock chuck. Cut the recess, and then file the point to a taper.
I have also made them by hand using a ball burr in a dremel. They don't have to be real precise.
Bill

 

[notsharpenough]

I bought one. Best I can tell they require a fair bit of pressure to work right ( read drill press ). I wasn't impressed. I just peened my brass rivet, & a few passes with a dremel felt wheel with jewelers compound.

 

[Soilarch]

Sooo...if you can guys can tolerate the newb question....


What are we talking about? (interested for my own curiosity...can't piece it together from context clues in the thread so far)

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Some Knives were manufactured with rivet heads that were tightened by spinning a concave tool that formed the rivet head. Look at most American pocketknives, and you can see an example.
The spinners that you buy need to be used with a drill press.
I have found it easier to just peen by hand, and then use my home-made tool like a punch to form the head below the scales.

 

[Soilarch]

Gotcha, how the "dome" the pins.

Ya'll would be proud, stayed up late to sharpen an old Boker 3-blade pocketknife we found in the basement. Figured I'd give to the landlord (its his old house) on the way to school tomorrow

 

[Diligence]

Thanks for the responses.

Bill - I can seldom get the mushroom of the peen to reach the level of the scales. I've been using a ball-peen, but maybe I should be using a flat-hammer. Because of this, the shoulder sits above the scales and really doesn't look "finished".

I'm mainly interested in the spring pins as they are so close to the edge of some of the scales, and I really can't handle another split scale....!

I've been able to spin scale pins (1/16") pretty easily, but have not been able to get my home made spinner to dome the 3/32" spring pins.

Thanks.

D

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Properly peened rivets are not flush. They are smoothed in the polishing operation.

 

[Diligence]

I've been working without a buffer, until this last knife I did....hmmm...I'll experiment a bit and see if I have been living in the dark ages (ie buffer less) !

thanks,
d