Thread: Soft/Hard Pins

Some years ago i purchased Brass & Nickel Silver pins from a manufacturer in the states .. Running low on nickel silver i thought i would get ahead of the game and buy a batch ,again from the states because i use 1/16ths, i was determined not to touch the new batch until i'd used all of the previous .
The time came , only to realise that they are soft & mushy.
My next attempt was to buy a load from a razor supply company , they arrived today and to my dismay they were soft too..

Now i realise that most ppl pin with soft pins, hence the saying about using a spoon to peen, which sounded stupid to me but now i understand.

After speaking to an expert today i know that whether pins are hard or soft it is just down to luck... (Alloy-360/cZ121)

Apparently my options are:
1. Anneal them . Heat to dull red then into water ,however this could and i think it did make them softer. Heating then a slow cool is my next attempt.
2. Work Hardening.. Just use them and they will harden. i didnt see that happening whilst i was tapping away..
3. Maybe a dummy move but i've stuck some in the fridge overnight..

I wont give up :/

Originally Posted by JOB15

Now i realise that most ppl pin with soft pins, hence the saying about using a spoon to peen, which sounded stupid to me but now i understand.

Interesting, the few times I have ordered/bought rod for peening it was just nickel silver rod and I never gave a thought to how hard or soft they were. I always used a very small ball peen hammer to peen with. The only time I use a heavy old soup spoon is to tighten up a loose pivot so I take less of a chance cracking the scales.

Bob

Funny, the first batch of rod I bought was nickel silver and it was so hard I could not get it to peed properly. Then Sharpton had a post about annealing them. The next batch was much easier to work with.

I think stronger pins give you the ability to pin more tightly too, ideal for heavy blades..

There is a happy medium for sure. Raol sent me a roll of nickels silver wire some time ago and it was perfect and lasted me for a very long time.

I have experienced the problem in reverse where the material is often too hard. I too buy in bulk. Annealing is the answer. Sometimes the ends of the rods are harder and softer in the middle.

I think you overheated your rod, try heating to just were it begins to change color then quench in water. Also try cutting your pieces to about ¾ inch then heating the tips and quenching.

Annealing will make it harder or softer, you just need to fiddle with the color and quench depending on the rod. Generally, more heat makes it softer.

I also taper my pin holes for a strong tight fit. I use an inexpensive tapered diamond burr in a pin vise.

I will try some more annealing before I send them back.
My plan is to buy small pieces, to test.
Ideally I like to have a nice dommed pin leaving a perfect lip of the washer showing, aint gonna happen with this lot.

Today I got out some brass pins that just look cheap to me, really shiny and a light yellow colour.. I use them for things other than pinning and I don't know where I got them from.

Started pinning with them and the mushroomed head basically snapped in half.. They have no flex at all..
I cannot let my art suffer this way

Originally Posted by JOB15

Today I got out some brass pins that just look cheap to me, really shiny and a light yellow colour.. I use them for things other than pinning and I don't know where I got them from.

Started pinning with them and the mushroomed head basically snapped in half.. They have no flex at all..
I cannot let my art suffer this way

You having a run of bad luck with pinning materials. Can't say I have had that happen with brass pins either. Hope you can get it sorted.

Bob

Yeah the harder ones are easier to correct using a little heat

I have 25 feet of NiAg rods that are about useless for pinning sitting in the shop because they are too soft

Been the for about 10 years now someday I might get around to messing with them but honestly it just isn't worth the time

On the plus side , i am now clued up, as they say