Originally Posted by
jfk742
More honey horn, Mike!
MikeT:
I don’t bother annealing pins unless it’s ivory or mother of pearl, for extra safety. Pin length is critical for nice pinning job and no bending, sounds like you’re figuring that out on your own.
I cut my pins long like at least a 1/4”, stick it in my anvil on my vice and done it over, just a bit more than necessary to hold the washer on and be flush with it or just a bit taller depending on how much “dome” I want, pay attention to that heightabove the washer you chose on side you domed first, you’ll use that same height plus a tiny bit like less than a 1/64” after you’ve filed the second side flat. Once I assemble pin and all the washers I just peen the second side until it matches the first then start switching back and forth every 10-20 taps. Do not hit the center of the pin until you’re done, just hit the center to even out the dome and to get en even finish.
One other trick I’ve found works nice is rocking the pin on the anvil while tapping the other side, seems to keep things nice and even. Hammer in circles too constantly checking that you’ve got an even lip all the way around.