What is the proccess for putting brass pins in knives?

K

kiddsgames

Joined
Dec 11, 2008
Messages
199
Hey guys!

First of all let me say that I have learned more from reading the stickies and forum post here than all my previous time elsewhere both on the internet and in person at hammer ins. I am 23 and reading all the posts saying i am a teenager and have made sereral knives, help me please, I feel like i need to make up some lost time! :D I am planning my first knife now! I got some grid paper and i am trying to plan out what i would like to make as my first knife. I bought a bad anvil and was given a coal forge and blower. I have heard that using a coal forge makes the process alot harder, but i would like to start off that way. I might make the switch to gas later. But i have a lot to learn and a long way to go!! I am psyched and i can't wait! :D

My query is that i have been looking around and i can't find the process for putting brass pins through the handle. I am mainly curious about how you cut and then shape the pins so that they are flush with the handle material.

ANY help is appreciated. I am just trying to learn as much as i can before i get started. Mainly so i don't mess everything up beyond repair. Thanks for the read! I hope that i can be as big a help to this community as you have already been to me!

Thanks guys!
 
What type of brass pin? just regualr ol pin material from rod stock? Or are you talking about Corby/screw type Pins?

I drill the hole for the pin then ream it so that it matches all the way trough. Then I take my pin stock and make them about 2" longer than needed and taper about an inch of it so it goes in better.

For the most part I file the pins down. I have found that using a grinder on pins is pretty much a no no. It can cause your handle material to burn and cause a dark ring around it. So I cut it as close to the handle material as I can and then hand file the materal down to match the handle. and then sand and/or buff the pins.
 
Thanks! It would be from rod stock. Hand filing sounds ok. I plan on filing down the handle material anyway. Would it be easier to hand file the handle material on the blade blank or should i try to match them as close as possible off the blank? I plan on trying some g10 for the handle material.
 
Drill the holes while the steel is in an annealed state. Then use those holes as a guide for the holes in the handle. Repeat. You may have to sand the pins a little so that they fit. I think that if you were to use a #30 bit for 1/8" pins, #12 for 3/16 and 6.5 mm for 1/4 it may fit. I have never tried this though.
 
#30 for 1/8", #20 for 5/32, # 10 for 3/16, letter drill "F" for 1/4"
give you just enough clearance for straight pins and glue them in when you fit the scales.
Richard
 
kiddsgames said:
Thanks! It would be from rod stock. Hand filing sounds ok. I plan on filing down the handle material anyway. Would it be easier to hand file the handle material on the blade blank or should i try to match them as close as possible off the blank? I plan on trying some g10 for the handle material.
Click to expand...

The handle should be pretty much done before it is mounted to the blank. If it is all wood, it may not be as big a deal but if you are using bolsters, guards, hidden tangs and such, it all needs to be pretty well finished before attaching to the handle.
 
Pins should actually be peened to get full strength out of them.
Once your handles are nearly finished, drill your pin holes and lightly chamfer them on the outside. Cut your pins to 1/16" longer (on each side) than they need to be. Make sure the ends are flat. Using a very small hammer (1-2 ounce head) lightly tap the heads with the other side solidly supported on your anvil, until they flare. Turn the knife over and repeat on the other side of the pin. After you have peened them good and snug, file them flush with the scales. Be careful not to file the flare off, and don't peen them so much that you crack your scales. This takes some practice.
 
Awsome guys. Thanks for all the help! All these tutorials really help a n008 out. I think i have the basics down, now time to go read the stickies again! Hopefully i can grab some time after the new year and bang out my first knife! I can't wait. Thanks again!
 
What part of Georgia? There's more than a few good knifemakers there. There's also the Georgia Knifemaker's Guild. I live about 90 miles from Columbus, GA.

If you don't want to learn to coke coal, you can forge using charcoal in that forge. Cuts down on a few steps you have to learn. Use the biggest lump charcoal you can.... DO NOT use match lite or any other self starting charcoal..... at least if you like having hair on your body.
 
Look up greenpete knife making on youtube and you can see videos of how he makes knives from beginning to end "frontier style"
 
I stopped peening my handle pins years ago. I've cracked way to many handle slabs over the years, or had them go to the customer and come back with a crack later. I also used to use Devcon 2 part quick setting epoxy along with the peening.

I now use only high strenth slow curing epoxies and do not peen. I haven't had any issues since I quit peening. No cracks and I haven't had a non-peened handle come loose.
 
Not that I like to send people to other forums, but if you go to the knifenetwork forum there is a subforum called the Georgia Knifemakers Guild. Just go there and look for a guy name Crex and he will be more than happy to finish corrupting you. He and several others can give you all of the details. They have a couple of meetings a year and have a couple of Hammer-ins where there are plenty of great people that are more than willing to help you in any way they can. They are a great group and you will really enjoy hanging out with them. Good luck.
 
If your handles are cracking, then you need to work on your peening technique.
This is the way handles were attached before there was epoxy. Properly done it will hold any handle indefinitely.
Most people use a hammer that is too large, and use too much force. I use a 1 ounce hammer for 98% of my peening. Wrist action is all that is needed. You don't want to try to swell the rivet, just mushroom the head slightly.
There should be no need to anneal most brass pins. If you are getting cracks in the head, you are peening too much.
 
I live in north ga, right outside of Gainesville. It got a little cold here today(at least it was for a southern boy) but i was able to get out and forge a little bit on some railroad spikes. I will look up that guild!

As for the epoxy, is there a preferred brand you guys use? If i could cheat and just epoxy the handles on i might just do that! I don't plan to abuse the knives i am going to make but i wouldn't want a handle to start slipping around after some hard use. I already see some guys just epoxy the handle material on(i know its a little bit more complicated than that) and say that they never have had a handle come off. Sounds good to me if it works. Man i can't wait for christmas! Maybe i can get rid of my useless wii to some family and buy some steel/tools!
 
Bill DeShivs said:
This is the way handles were attached before there was epoxy. Properly done it will hold any handle indefinitely.
.
Click to expand...

I dont ever use epoxy on my slip joints, just makes a mess. The pins will hold the scales on unless they break from being mistreated. The only reason I use epoxy on my fixed blades is to keep the moisture out of the tang.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top