Quote Originally Posted by PaulFLUS View Post
If there is no rust between the scales and you could not tell when done whether they were unpinned or not then leave them. On the other hand, the pins themselves are not really the thing that's usually best left intact, it's the collars. If you can unpin without losing or damaging them or, as in my case, have them soaking in a shot glass and have the wife toss them down the sink, then repinning using the same collars is a non-issue. That is of course if you are proficient at pinning.

If crud under the scales is what you are concerned about you can use dental floss and 3M Marine to clean around the pivot. I also use a fingernail brush and plain old soap and water to clean in between the scales.
I have had very little luck saving collars, but I'm going to look through all of the pinned posts and see if there are better methods than I've been using so far.

Thanks!