Suggestion

[just bob]

Here is something I'll post as a suggestion and ask for people with more
experience to comment on it. It is something that works for me and may help
others. When you have disassembled a knife and are putting it back together
many times you don't have a pin that fits perfectly and if you don't have
elaborate shop equipment you have to try and use a belt sander to turn down
a pin. It is hard to do this perfectly and most times the pin tapers. Also
you have to stock many different size pins and work with the closest to what
you need. Why not use a pin reamer and tap the holes on the bolster and
rocker pins? A 5/0 pin reamer is .072 at the bottom and .096 at the top. a
3/32 pin is .093 so if you have used the pin reamer you have created a
funnel shape at the outside of the bolster. When you peen the pin down this
will in effect lock the pin into place. Also using this method basically you
only need 2 sizes of pins for the most part. A 1/16 for putting the scales
on the liner and a 3/32 for the bolster and rockers. That sure makes life a
lot simpler. You can get a carbide pin reamer that will last for months for
$20 and even that is better than buying 3/32 drill bits and trying to
redrill springs and blades. What is wrong with this practice and is there a
reason why it should be avoided?

[FRJ]

I'm not a knife mechanic, but the concept sounds valid to me. What I really like is someone thinking things out and trying something new. Even if it's new to that one person. Even if the idea is deemed to be not a good practice, at least someone is thinking. That's always a good thing.
Good on ya, Bob.

[orvet]

I will ream out a pin hole but only to get a good fit with the various size of pin stock I have. IMHO, one or two sizes of pins DO NOT fit all knives. As you work on more & more knives, you will encounter knives many different sizes of tang holes in the blades based on size and brand. Also the time when they were made affects the sizes as well.

There has to be a certain amount of space around the pin so that when you peen the pivot pin it doesn’t swell a little in the tang hold and cause drag; then the knife won’t walk and talk properly. I have done that, believe me I know from experience.

If you just work on mid sized Schrades from 1973-2004, you might get by with one or two sizes of pins, but throw some old lobsters or small pen knives in the mix, or some old German knives and you will be scrambling for as many different sizes of pin stock as you can get your hands on.

My personal preference is that I change the knife as little as possible when I do a repair. It is sort of like working on an old car; the closer to stock as possible, the easier future repairs will be.

That is the way I see it.
Not saying it is the only way or the best way, but it is my way.

[Joe Dirt]

If it works for you, go for it Bob.

One problem you may encounter is the hardness of the tang when it comes to
drilling or reaming. It will sure put a hurtin on a carbide bit!

Here's a little trick for turning down pin diameters:
Use a Sharpie marker to "blue" the pin stock. This will allow you to SEE if you are
tapering the stock and correct the angle as your turning it.

It works for me!

.... Joe

[orvet]

Here's a little trick for turning down pin diameters:
Use a Sharpie marker to "blue" the pin stock. This will allow you to SEE if you are
tapering the stock and correct the angle as your turning it.

It works for me!

.... Joe

Great tip Joe!

[knfcollector]

One of the easiest ways I've used to turn down pins is to put it in a drill press and run it between two files. Take your time and check often with a drill gauge.

[orvet]

I will roll a piece of rod across the width of a belt sander spinning it with my fingers, or sometimes I chuck it in a drill and spin it with the drill while running the belt sander. It is pretty quick and with practice you can get pretty good at it.

[just bob]

That is a great comment about trying to keep a knife original Dale. It's an honor to come to this site and look at the pictures some of you post.
The frustrating thing is trying to stock enough parts to do the job right. I hate paying the $10 S&H to order a few rods and I hate to have stuff laying around that gets in the way and I seldom use. My thoughts were about keeping things simple and organized. As I gain more experience I'm sure I'll figure more of this out. By the way the guy in KY that is a good knife repairman used finished nails as pins in the older knives that had original steel pins in them. I see where others say they use welding rod as steel pins. So there is some degree of adaptability that is common in knife repair.

[orvet]

By the way the guy in KY that is a good knife repairman used finished nails as pins in the older knives that had original steel pins in them. I see where others say they use welding rod as steel pins. So there is some degree of adaptability that is common in knife repair.

I agree; in that case steel pins are appropriate.

If you look around the town where you live you will probably find a lot of pin materials under your very nose, (so to speak).
I find most of my brass, steel and stainless pin stock at my local hardware stores. Between Ace Hardware & True Value Hardware I get most all of my pins except the nickel silver. Hobby stores are another good source of pins. All local stores, so no shipping charges are involved.

About the only pins I have to order from a knife supply house are the nickel silver ones.

I have also found pin stock on ebay. Just search “brass rod” and you will find them amongst the curtain rods.

[whitebuffalo58]

Welding supply stores are a good place to get pinstock also. They usually carry a wide variety of sizes in all the popular materials, including nickel silver and stainless.