Pins, peening and guards

M

Michael Minto

Guest
I'm usually successful in peening my guard pins well enough so they are not seen; however, like every other knifemaker, occasionally there is that cresent of space from an improperly peened pin that shows, and I really hate that look. Does anyone know of a way to fix, and make "unseeable" those spaces between pins and guard material? Thanks.
 
Taper your pin holes with a tapering reamer of the appropriate size. It doesn't take much of a taper. Just run the reamer in until it touches and then go about another 1/8" - 3/16" depending on actual hole/pin size. After that, just be sure you peen the crap out of the pins to really fill the holes.
 
hi, Darrin. i appreciate the reply; i have heard of that method of fixing pins in a guard. however, my question was about AFTER the fact, when you have ground down the pins that have already been peened in place, when they are showing that crescent space between the pin and the guard - i'm wondering if anyone knows a way to get rid of that ring showing around the pin.
 
There are only two ways that I know of. First, if the "gap" is superficial, you might be able to grind the guard down below the level of the gap and get it to disappear. Of course, if it's too deep, you may be sacrificing the design of the knife.

The second fix is to drill and hammer out the pins and start over. It's not a pleasant thought, but sometimes cutting your losses and starting over is the smartest way to go.
 
Hi, Brandant. I had already tried your first suggestion, and had no luck; I can't grind any more away without ruining the knife. Since I'm keeping this knife for myself, I don't think I'll drill the pins out, but it is something to keep in mind for the future; thanks. Mike
 
Excuse my mental lapse, its happening more & more these days. LOL I agree that about the only way to fix it is to start over. When I have something like that happen, I either keep it for myself (I have several) LOL or give it to a friend or neighbor.
 
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