Scale Pinning

WinDancer

WinDancer

Joined
May 15, 1999
Messages
720
Can anyone give me some pointers on pinning scales on folders? The pins either will not peen over, or they bend into the scale material and chip or break it. Is there a way to peen one end of the pins first, so that they could be peened from the back side of the bolsters? This is making me a little [more] crazy....
Thanks!

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Regards, Dave

WinDancer@OlyWa.net

www.olywa.net/windancer/webknives.htm
 
Get a copy of "The Complete Book of Pocketknife Repair" by Ben Kelly. In it he explains a spinning tool for rounding the ends of pins. It's a good reference book for folder making as well as repairing.
 
My first question is "what handle material is it?" If it's a tough material like Micarta, you can drill the holes undersized and they will get such a tight fit that peening shouldn't be necessary. Since you mention chipping, it sounds like you're using something more fragile. Epoxy helps, too, but I wouldn't rely on it.

You can get one side peened over by drilling a slight countersink, resting the pin in the hole against a flat metal surface (the side that will face out flat against the "anvil") and striking the other end of the pin to drive it against the anvil and thus expand into the countersink. Then clip the pin and peen the other end normally. Countersinking is important or the pin will fill into a very shallow, fragile head. Don't underestimate the value of a mirror-polished pein on your hammer! This lets the pin material flow smoothly (plus polishing the pein is a true joy because it's rare that a knifemaker gets to polish a homogenous round surface.)

In peening, you can do just as much with many tiny blows as with fewer heavy ones. If it's a fragile material, just slowly "mold" the pin with little taps instead of driving it like a nail. There's no pressure to do it fast.

A final technique might be to drill a slight depression into a hard piece of metal and rest your pin over this, so that it is driven into the depression to expand without undue force on the material being pinned. Just a thought, as I generally avoid the really fragile stuff so far. Good luck and keep us posted.

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-Drew Gleason
Little Bear Knives
 
Epoxy has failed on the last three attempts. I am using a small ball peen hammer to texture the bolsters after the knife is assembled, and the many, many blows to texture the brass causes the epoxy [three different brands] bond to fail. There is no sheer pressure, just the shock from the direct blows to the brass bolsters, so using epoxy on the pins woould not add anything that I can see to the strength of the bond.

Thanks, Corduroy, I appreciate your suggestions. Am I supposed to use the round end of the hammer for peening the pins? I have just been using light blows with the flat face of the peening hammer. If so, that may be part of the problem.

Thanks,
Dave
 
What material are your pins made from?
This is a big part of it. Use nickle silver or 416 pin stock. That will help . A small chamfer in the material will help (very small). The leave about 1/6 lenght sticking out of the handle. Chamfer the end of the pin. This creates the rivet effect when you peen . Polish the head (heheheh) on your hammer also as said above. IF you want several supply houses have head spinners for sale. Or you can make one in a hour or so.
Good luck. One other thing is to make a mask for the material around the hole. Punch a hole in a peice of duct tape and put it over the pin. Then if you slip and hit the handle it wont mar it...

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Web Site At www.infinet.com/~browzer/bldesmth.html
Take a look!!!




 
No problem! Mr. Ralph pointed out something important that I missed, though - chamfering the pins also helps to give a thick peened head instead of just a thin lip peening over and appearing like it fills the hole. Isn't this place a great resource?

-Drew
 
Darrel
Thanks for the tips. I had to look up chamfer... it means "to bevel cut @ 45 degrees or make a groove or flute in"... can you clarify, please? Also, I am unable to find any info on a head spinner, or making one. Have you time to tell me how they are made and how they work?

Thanks very much for the help!

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WinDancer@OlyWa.net

www.olywa.net/windancer/webknives.htm
 
Avoid trying to gently peen 316SS pins, they work harden very quickly and won't peen well.
I use 316 where possible but only where one hard blow is necessary to pin a bolster or guard in place. In this case I leave about 1/16" proud and chamfer the tip of the pin on a belt sander very slightly then beat the daylights out of it with a 3 lb hammer. This swells the pin and secures the guard very securely. After polishing the pin is usually impossible to find.

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george
www.tichbourneknives.com
sales@tichbourneknives.com

 
Another thing is to match your pin and bolster metal precisely. I've used different grades of steel or brass pins in steel or brass bolsters and had the pins remain visible because the metal was of a slightly different shade. If you're using 303 bolsters have 303 pins, 416 bolsters use 416 pins, etc. Brass is especially dificult because many supplies won't tell you the grade and there seem to be many compositions. It's no fun to get that perfect flush fit and still spot the pin because it's darker or lighter!

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-Drew Gleason
Little Bear Knives
 
It also helps to get the pin and bolster material from the same sourse as they usually
I say usually match. What I've found works
well is to oversize the hole a couple thousands counter sink verry slightly the
outside AND inside of the bolster or slab
and hit straight down on the pin and it will
swell in the hole not needing the grief of
trying to peen. In doing this right on a solid heavy surface I guarentee that you will have to grind off the the slab or bolster if you want to remove it.

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http://www.imt.net/~goshawk The race is not always to the swift, but he who hangs loose.
Don't walk in tradition just because it feels good!!!!!

 
One thing about pins is that if the handle material is Ivory or Pearl Pre-pein on side first. To do this use a Bronze plate drill to the size of the pins being used, leave about 3/32 exposed and clamp the underside between two pieces of micarta. Then using a small polished ball pein hammer to pein the pin, remove the pin and place it into the pin hole , then pein the other side onto the scale. The polished head of the hammer will make the pin dome over better and easier as it will create less friction.
 
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