I've just started putting all the scales I've made onto blades and wanted to see what you guys do to protect the scales during the pinning process. I use a small metal template that came with my pin set but it's somewhat awkward and a bit too thick for this but it does work. I've scratched a couple by tapping them with the hammer and even when done lightly can leave a mark. It's definitely a peace off when you take a few hours to make a perfect (to me) set of scales and then put a nice lol scrape in them.