Why pins instead of screws on slip joints?

I personally do not have a problem with either one but pins look way better when done right. Nothing like a nice well built slipjoint with nicely fitted and finished pins.
 
Lionsteel seems to have headed the new trend for screws. I do not think they are supposed to be taken apart often though.

Friction folders, like the Svord Peasant have used screws too.
 
I think screws first appeared on knives as far back as the end of the c19th, traditional enough? ;)

With aesthetics it's all a question of context and overall effect; in that both can work well in the right situation; the aspect of interpretation is vital. I don't believe it's to do with 'durability' or dismantling it's to do how a cutler interpreted the pattern and material used.

Here, Lionsteel adopts the most up-to-date of materials, titanium, M390 steel with very precise machining and build but they use a very traditional material Mufflon/ Ram's Horn as a contrast. In my book it excels, the knife is light, has beautiful action & build quality and looks right. Putting pins on might look forced or anachronistic.

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Whereas and in contrast, GEC presents a beautifully finished Barlow in ultra traditional mode: carbon, heavy stamped bolster, all steel, beautiful jigged Red bone and exceptionally well-finished pins that compliment the scales in question and the design overall. Both these knives achieve the latter but in very different ways.

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OP, my take is that it is a matter of design, which I suppose you can lump into tradition.

Since I enjoy both modern and traditional slipjoints, I think there is a place for screws and pins. Pins would look out of place on my all Ti slipjoint, and I would not appreciate screws on one of my folders in bone or stag.
 
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different horses for different courses, i have traditionals with both, especially the more modern stuff
 
We buy dreams, we buy memories, we buy art...
we buy knives to collect, we buy knives to use and we buy knives to be part of groups to talk about...

more and more knife makers try to take a part of the Retro/ Vintage hype.

it is interesting to see how some knife makers manage the balancing act between modern and traditional, both in terms of material and technology...

JE Made combustion + lannys clip.jpgJE Made Combustion-2.jpgJE Made Combustion.jpgJE Made Lanny's Clip Point - Desert Ironwood1.jpgJE Made Black stonewashed einzelteile-2.jpgJE Made Black stonewashed einzelteile.jpg
 
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Modern technology does away with the skills required to produce a traditionally pinned knife. All the parts nowadays are made and shaped via CNC and computer controlled grinders. Metal surfaces are bead blasted or coated so there's almost no polishing involved. Once the parts are made a cutler is no longer required to put the knife together. There's no hafting and no finishing of the knife backs on many of these examples. Just polishing of the handle parts (often also cnc'd) before they're put on a knife. A twelve year old could easily put it together after school with just a bit of instruction. No need for skilled knifemakers or the time it takes to apprentice new workers. It's a completely different process from pinned traditional construction, more like an assembly line. It's all a matter of taste, both knives look good with the screwed construction taking on a more industrial look while the pinned knives have a more finished refined look to them.

For me personally I just can't get past the screws in the bolsters. It's been drilled in to me for years not to show a pin in the bolster, to make it look like the blade is magically held in place. So to see that glaring screw just totally goes against the grain for me. But then that's just this old codger, stuck in the past I guess LOL.

Eric
 
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They both have their place, thankfully. For my money though, I'll take a pinned slip joint that rides on a bushing all day. If done properly that pivot pin will never break free under intended use. If I want a screwed together knife. I'll grab the small sebenza out of my right front pocket.

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Spot on Eric ea42 ea42
 
I would think the cost of tooling and the extra steps in manufacturing would increase the price of screw together construction. Traditional slip joint knives are mostly lighter duty and most customers aren’t going to pay big money for a traditional slip joint.

Modern folders with premium materials made for more rugged use is a bit different. in this case it makes sense to use screw fasteners.

Pinned construction has been around for hundreds of years and if done correctly they have stood the test of time. I haven’t had any pinned knives come from together and are still as tight and sound as when they were new. But I have had some screws back out and lost out in the field. I’ve since used blue locktite to secure the screws and that has fixed that problem. As for cleaning I wash them just as I have done since I was a kid and my parents did as well. I just put a bit of Lysol in the soapy water to disinfect them, rinse and blow dry followed by a drop of oil. It’s very simple and effective.
 
I think they both have their place. I have knives with both types of construction and enjoy them all. One thing I'll say though is that quite a few people that extol the practicality and convenience of the assembly and disassembly of screw type constructed knives often post when reassembling their knives that they have problems with blade centering, not being able to quite seat a screw head, etc..
 
Tony Bose never used screws and he is the GOAT. Traditional construction on traditional knives is peened. Peening a traditional takes skill, an art. Twisting a screw takes zero talent. Zero of my traditionals have screws, they look hideous.
 
I have no great preference for either when it comes to knives. I can tell you, though, that screws aren't as foolproof as some of you think. I spend a large part of my life repairing damage to screws, and damage caused by knuckle heads trying to use simple hand tools.
 
To me they don't look as good, and they loosen up all the time unless you a use thread lock on them.

Just like hot riveted plier pivots over nut and bolt pivots, I greatly prefer the hot forged rivet Channellock uses today over the nut and bolt they used before 1986.
 
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Chief said:
Tony Bose never used screws and he is the GOAT. Traditional construction on traditional knives is peened. Peening a traditional takes skill, an art. Twisting a screw takes zero talent. Zero of my traditionals have screws, they look hideous.
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You can buy a lot of screw together stuff for what Tony charges for a knife.
 
Signalprick said:
I do minimal peening on my pivot pins these days. There is a better, more reliable way that most of the "big dogs" use. It includes a clamp and a machinist vise. ;) I can't say for sure but if the Old Dog wasn't doing it this way I'd be shocked.
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Wow!! Never heard of that method!! Or even how you do it!!??
 
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