Thread: Tightening pins

Originally Posted by RezDog

A pin vice is for holding small drill bits for hand drilling. I used a 1/2 drill chuck for doing one side of the pin.

Its all done. All I had to do was clip off the top of the pinning rod and it was ok.
They are re pinned now. The edge just misses the scales .Its gonna have to do

some domed washers

A pin in the chuck

With a washer

washer on the peened pin

my pin vice

It is important to use split point bits in your pin vice as the regular ones are tough to start by hand.

None of this is my original thoughts either. This has all been posted here before. I think the drill chuck process came from one of sharptonn's posts. As for doming the washers there is no shortage of post on that here. Many use manufactured doming blocks others a homemade block and punch.

Originally Posted by RezDog

None of this is my original thoughts either. This has all been posted here before. I think the drill chuck process came from one of sharptonn's posts. As for doming the washers there is no shortage of post on that here. Many use manufactured doming blocks others a homemade block and punch.

Very nice.
Thanks for the tips.
I bought a Doming Bench block and also a larger Rubber Bench Block to cushion it

Also I drilled a few holes to help me peen.


One thing I noticed is that my pin head has strike marks where as yours is smooth. I must be doing some thing wrong. Maybe you can see from the picture below.

The thing with peening is that you need to polish your hammer in order to get a nice finish on your pin without having to polish it.

Originally Posted by RezDog

The thing with peening is that you need to polish your hammer in order to get a nice finish on your pin without having to polish it.

I see.I think my peening hammer it cheep and not vey good

Also I made the cardinal mistake of trying to drill the holes with a cordless drill on a pair of dovo scales. They were scales I'd attached with a micro nut n bolt about a year ago. They are now destroyed.

I'm waiting for my Dremel drill workstand to arrive.

Yesterday I read some thing about having all your tools ready before starting, it fell on deaf ears.

At least I know what not to do now

If you’re going to drill a pin, first flatten the domed head with a file, center punch the pin in the center, then use a Center Drill/Precision Drill in a drill press at slow speed, not a drill bit, to start the hole, do not cut into the washer. Then use a sharp quality 1/16 in drill bit to drill past the collar slowly.

A 3x3 in piece of 6mm foam will keep the razor from dancing and scratching the crepe out of the other scale.

Often, if you are dead center, and go slow, you can save the collar, unless of course you need the collar, (thank you Murf).

DO NOT try to punch the pin through to the other side, carefully lift the scale over the pin then lift the razor over the pin. If the pin is bent cut with a pair of side cutters and file the edge smooth so you can push it through the other scale. If you punch it through and the pin is bent, you will crack the back scale. You will not know if the pin is bent until you get it out.

Pick up a cordless drill from a garage sale or thrift store for a buck or two and pop off the Jacob chuck and you are all set.

For a smoother pin, file the top of your replacement pin smooth and polish your hammer as said 600 wet & dry and metal polish. You can also polish your finished pins with Diamond paste, Chrome Oxide and metal polish on the tip of a 3in piece of a chop stick. They will be smooth and shiny. Use lite pressure.

Practice pinning Popsicle sticks or Tongue depressors get them tight without cracking. A cheap hammer works just as well as a high dollar one, if smoothed out, it’s the hand that does the work…