pin sizes

wildcat · Post by **wildcat** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 8:46 pm

what size pins are yall using to rebuild old timers? 3/32" is too small and 1/8" is too big.

muskrat man · Post by **muskrat man** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 9:23 pm

i USE 3/32" CAN'T GO BY THE HOLE IN THE TANG, i JUST DRILL THE BOLSTERS OUT TO 3/32" AND USE THAT SIZE PIN WITH GREAT RESULTS. IF YOU'D LIKE TO USE BIGGER JUST TURN DOWN AN 1/8" PIN BUT 3/32" WORKS FINE FOR ME ON ALL MY SCHRADE REBUILDS. sorry about caps

wildcat · Post by **wildcat** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 9:36 pm

great, thanks!

orvet · Post by **orvet** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 11:24 pm

There are a variety of sizes available through the knife makers supply houses. I got tired of cutting down the pins and now stock a variety of sizes in my shop. I still have to resize one every now and then but not too often.
I also stock nickel silver & stainless in addition to brass. I like to have the right material to fix a knife & hate to wait for an order to arrive.

Dale

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 11:44 pm

I forget where I made a large order of pin stock. Stainless 416 and 303 alloys, 360 brass and Nickel Silver from Jantz. They sent it all in ONE BAG-MIXED UP. I like to order a lot and have it on hand - I'm talking well over $100.00 in pin stock. I almost sent it back.

BUT, I got out my calipers, pen and tape and labled every piece. Through pin size (both English and Metric), order quantity of each and material type, several hours later I had the whole mess sorted out. Nothing like sorting a couple hundred 1 ft sections of mixed pin stock to make your day. @#*&?~*%#

Yeah, the brass was real easy

Then the nickel silver! Thank goodness I ordered 416 and 303 SS in different quantities.

Diligence · Post by **Diligence** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 2:06 am

I don't think I've yet to work on a knife where I didn't have to tweak the pin stock to fit. I chuck the short pieces in my drill press and just hit them with a small file, or sandpaper to suit.

wildcat · Post by **wildcat** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 12:39 pm

i was looking through my catalogs last night and Jantz has a much better selection than Texas Supply. I'll be ordering some next week with some new drill bits to match.

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 2:10 pm

wildcat wrote:i was looking through my catalogs last night and Jantz has a much better selection than Texas Supply. I'll be ordering some next week with some new drill bits to match.

Check your bits with calipers FIRST! I got a new sets of bits about a year and a half ago (somewhere around there). Found that they were .002 to .003 too small. Just enough to crack some scales on a fixed blade.

Ebony I think.

Lesson learned!

wildcat · Post by **wildcat** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 2:17 pm

i usually order a drill bit just a smidgen larger than the pin size.

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 3:13 pm

wildcat wrote:i usually order a drill bit just a smidgen larger than the pin size.

I still think calipers are the best tool a knifer can have. Unless it is a precision bit, a drill bit can be oversize or undersize from the same company depending on the batch of bits - when it was made. I have seen that in industry as well. So, when I cracked some scales - shame on me.

orvet · Post by **orvet** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 3:41 pm

Hukk wrote: Check your bits with calipers FIRST! I got a new sets of bits about a year and a half ago (somewhere around there). Found that they were .002 to .003 too small. Just enough to crack some scales on a fixed blade. Ebony I think.

Lesson learned!

I have also found that the pin stock varies in diameter as much as .003” or some times a bit more. That is a real pain too!

Dale

Darksev · Post by **Darksev** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 5:42 pm

Some of the Schrades can be weird. The 34ot Stockman pattern I did up (will post some pictures when I unlazy and get out the camera again) used a center pin that was near a 2mm pin at the center, but swelled out to just under 3/32 when you hit the edge of the springs.

I ended up having to chuck a 3/32 brass pin in my drill and have at it with sandpaper to get what i needed (calipers ftw, once again)

So far for me, 2mm NS stock from Jantz has been the solution (small case patterns like peanuts, 12ot's from schrade, even some older case knives around the 3" mark seem to use it). Calipers are the best investment I made, but sometimes it makes for frustration "hmm, now where am I gonna find 2.38mm pin stock"