Thread: Problems Peening

Looking for some answers.
Have a newly finished set of scales that I'm trying to peen at the pivot but the my brass rod is bending every time. This becomes a problem because the scales wont line up properly. Had no real problem with the wedge. I tried different washers, shortening the length of the brass rod. To this point nothing has worked. Just as the rod begins to mushroom everything seems to go badly.

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I hope that some of the more experienced craftsmen on this site can offer some suggestions.
Thanks.

I've had the same problems. What I found out is my brass pin was a little too long. It really doesn't take a lot of pin sticking out of the scale. I would suggest getting some material and try some practice pins at different lengths. anyway that's what I did.

At what point is it bending ? By that I mean is it when you are preening the first side and the brass rod is long ? Are you securing the rod in anyway, such as in a vice ?

Without a picture of the issue I would guess the pin is to long and/or you are using to much force. I personally use a small 0.8 oz jewelers hammer. I have to hit it a lot more times, but with a little practice you can keep it going fairly fast.

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Originally Posted by mike1011

At what point is it bending ? By that I mean is it when you are preening the first side and the brass rod is long ? Are you securing the rod in anyway, such as in a vice ?

Initially I was keeping the rod a bit longer and working only one side to start mushroom and hold the washer in place. I would then cut the other side to length and work them back and forth. Then I tried cutting the rod to what I thought was the proper size and that didn't help. I'm using the anvil side of a vise. Beginning to wonder if there is a flaw in the scales that creates this problem.
Q: if the scales aren't perfectly symmetrical at the pivot (on side slightly thinner) would that cause this problem?

How big is the hole in the tang of the razor? If it is to big there is to much play and the rod will bend.

Originally Posted by guitstik

How big is the hole in the tang of the razor? If it is to big there is to much play and the rod will bend.

Thought about that but on previous rebuilds I didn't have problems. Using 1/16 brass rod. Are there other options?

A piece of brass tubing with 1/16 ID, drill the pivot so that the brass tube pits and cut it off and sand/file flush. One thing that I find helpful is to pre-peen one side so that I only have the other side to peen in the scales.

As mentioned without pics we can't be certain but about 1mm of pin probably to much to peen smooth,
And like most things with str8 you need to use a light touch only light hammer strokes with a small ball peen hammer, only hitting the sides of the pins slowly mushrooming it down,
I try not to hit the centre of the pin at all until pretty well finished.
Once the pin is getting tight if it looks to long just file it some more and peen the outer edges again until you are to the tightness you want.

i don't have a vice so I use a pair of vice grips to hold my pins so I can set the first side, then cut to length in place

The size of the pivot hole or the odd sized scales would make no difference I believe it is more to do with heavy handed peening, this what I found when i started,
do a test,
do a pin without the blade in so you can see the pin if you hit to hard it will bend.
I found this out trying to do a third pin with no tube as it took several attempts to not bend the pin, this is how I truly learnt that light hits are required