Where to Buy Pin-Stock for Knife Repairs

[Meridian_Mike]

I would be afraid to try to use a drill bit for a pin. They would be too hard to peen.

Just my $.02 about that.

[orvet]

We have a local Ace Hardware that stocks 3 foot lengths of brass also. That is the cheapest I have found.

Do you know what the nickel silver you have been using for pin stock is, dead soft or half hard?

Sorry Glenn, I just saw this post.
The nickel silver I use is half hard. I have some nickel silver that is dead soft; I use it for scale pins sometimes and it works good for that
It is way too soft for pivot pins

[Nev52]

Can anyone tell me where? I can purchase .081 pin stock in nickel silver.
Thanks
Nev

[OLDE CUTLER]

Can anyone tell me where? I can purchase .081 pin stock in nickel silver.
Thanks
Nev

The closest I have found is .079" from Jantz.

[Nev52]

Can anyone tell me where? I can purchase .081 pin stock in nickel silver.
Thanks
Nev

The closest I have found is .079" from Jantz.

Thanks
I have some.079 from Jantz. It seems .081 is only available in brass. I had an old penknife that had .081 for the blades the .079 just felt to lose for the wear in the tang hole so I drilled everything to .094 so I could match the nickel in the bolsters. Maybe I was too critical, but the blades had no play and good snap.
Regards Nev

[glennbad]

Can anyone tell me where? I can purchase .081 pin stock in nickel silver.
Thanks
Nev

Try Thunderbird Supply

[Nev52]

Can anyone tell me where? I can purchase .081 pin stock in nickel silver.
Thanks
Nev

Try Thunderbird Supply

Glen
Thanks for the information. they do have .081 But it said comes in a coil and is dead soft. Can that be used for pins?
Nev

[glennbad]

Can anyone tell me where? I can purchase .081 pin stock in nickel silver.
Thanks
Nev

Try Thunderbird Supply

Glen
Thanks for the information. they do have .081 But it said comes in a coil and is dead soft. Can that be used for pins?
Nev

Dang it. I bought from two places, that wasn't the one I was thinking. Try Fire Mountain Gems, they have half hard NS. I think the 12Ga. works out to .081"

[glennbad]

And yes, it comes in a coil, so you'll have to straighten it out to use it.

[Nev52]

Thanks

Nev

[Nev52]

And yes, it comes in a coil, so you'll have to straighten it out to use it.

Thanks again Glen on my micrometer 14 gauge wire is .082 12 gauge was .089. So I am going to try 14 gauge. I really appreciate the information.

Nev

[Nev52]

Try Thunderbird Supply

Glen
Thanks for the information. they do have .081 But it said comes in a coil and is dead soft. Can that be used for pins?
Nev

Dang it. I bought from two places, that wasn't the one I was thinking. Try Fire Mountain Gems, they have half hard NS. I think the 12Ga. works out to .081"

You were right Glen .081 is 12-gauge wire . 14 was .064 Now I have both.

Thanks for your help on this matter.
Nev

[orvet]

Can anyone tell me where? I can purchase .081 pin stock in nickel silver.
Thanks
Nev

Try Thunderbird Supply

Glen
Thanks for the information. they do have .081 But it said comes in a coil and is dead soft. Can that be used for pins?
Nev

I have used dead soft brass and nickel silver wire to attach handles, but they haven't worked well in my experience as pivot pins or rocker pins.
Wallace Rockwell, from Camillus Cutlery, Had some .081" half hard nickel silver wire on eBay several years ago. I don't know if he has any left now or not. You might be able to contact him through his retail store if you can't find him on eBay.

[Nev52]

Thanks Dale. Always good to have a few suppliers.
Nev

[Maddogfl]

Many older knives are made with pins that are not standard proportions with the sizes readily available in the local hardware store or through a knife supply house.

Ever wonder how the old knife companies made all the different size wire they used on pocket knives?

Knife companies bought nickle, brass and steel wire, one size, not all the different sizes they needed for their knives, it did not come in straight lengths like you buy from these modern supply houses either, it came in large rolls.

They used a Wortle plate to size the wire to whatever particular size they wanted.

A Wortle plate is made of steel and it has tapered holes of various sizes through which the larger wire was fed, it was then pulled through the tapered hole and it came out the other side the proper diameter.

Needless to say these plates are very rare and quite honestly if I had one to put in front of a modern knife maker they would have no idea what the hell it was used for.

Just one of the many facts I have uncovered in my ongoing search for the knowledge the early cutlers used to make pocket knives

I did some repair work in a nail factory about 20 years ago. That is the same way they were making nails. The stock was one size, on rolls, stretched to the proper diameter.

[Bill DeShivs]

Those plates are also known as jeweler's draw plates and they are available.

[Folgore1]

i think the 14g would work ok if its too big turn it down little bit on drill press , put pin in drill press take file and turn down until it fits in your knives holes . alot of times its really hard to find correct diameter so buy little bigger pin stock and just turn it down a bit on a drill press using a file but be very careful you can make them too small very fast . .
Thanks Bernie ( Folgore Knives)

[BIGHEAD]

Jantz supply is wherr 90% of my pin stock comes from.

[Eelephant]

I could never find pin stock that didn’t need to be sanded down to fit, so I figured if it doesn’t fit anyway, why buy something specialized? I just use nails. Sand them down to size and peen them in.

[OLDE CUTLER]

I could never find pin stock that didn’t need to be sanded down to fit, so I figured if it doesn’t fit anyway, why buy something specialized? I just use nails. Sand them down to size and peen them in.

The problem with using steel pins in nickle silver bolsters is that they are very visible. Some knives came from the factory with that combo, but most did not.

[Walleye]

Does anyone know the size of NS pins that Case would have used on modern 65 pattern folding hunters? I am talking about the main pivot pins and the one in the bottom bolster. The brass scale pins seem to be 1/16", and the brass main spring pin appears to be 1/8" or slightly less than that.