Thread: Do You Anneal Brass Rod for Pinning?

I have tried pinning with brass rod and find that annealing the rod almost makes the job harder. It's harder to get a precise peening of the rod and it seems the pin is more apt to bend.

Do you anneal your brass stock when you pin razors?

I do not anneal. I find it easier to bend the pin when it is annealed.

Charlie

I do not anneal. I have actually never tried it, but don't think I want to.

Nope. The rod I've been using seems just right but on the same token if I ended up with some different brand I'd keep it in mind.

Horn-

I never tried annealing, and I can't really see any reason to either. Brass is fairly soft to begin with and I find it peens easily enough.

No: the rod I've got is malleable enough as it is. Mind you, there's brass, and then there's brass, and by reputation some of the more specialised varieties can show a marked tendency to flake.

I've tried annealing brass rod stock and it can be both a help as well as a hinderance.

Although the annealed brass may peen more easily, the down side of this is (as others have stated) that the softened brass rod may be inclined to bend (in the middle) which is not the desired effect.

If you do feel like softening the brass rod, then here is what I would recommend.

Cut your brass rod to the required length.

Once it is cut to proper length, holding it with a pair of pliers or tongs, bring only the very extreme end of the rod into the flame of a hot propane torch.

As soon as you see the end beginning to glow (and ONLY the very end, mind) remove the rod from the flame and immediately quench it in some water.

Now repeat the procedure for the other end of this bit of cut rod.

If you have done this carefully, you will have succeeded in reducing the hardness of the brass at either end of the rod so that it peens more easily.

Don't worry about the quenching bit. It does not affect the hardness of brass and only serves to immediately stop the heat from further affecting the center portion of this rod (which you do not want to bend).

Do please note that if you hold the bit of rod in the flame so that entire length of the brass is glowing reddish than it is already too late and ALL of piece will have been effectively softened.

Try practicing this beforehand with some stray bits of brass rod to see if (A) you can do it properly and (B) whether you feel it gives the desired results.

I don't anneal. I file the end of the pin flat before I start peening, and this makes it mushroom easily, making annealing unnecessary.

Originally Posted by Johnny J

I don't anneal. I file the end of the pin flat before I start peening, and this makes it mushroom easily, making annealing unnecessary.

This is what I do as well. Cut to length, file flat, and then pin. Only the barest minimum will have to stick out beyond the washer. And then it will mushroom over easily without needing much tapping.