Stainless steel for pins?

Has anybody tried stainless steel for pins? I don't have any nickel silver in 1/16" rod and wondered if I could use stainless steel rod instead. Would annealing help with the hardness and would it still take a buffing? Any thoughts on this?

Annealing may be a big help and yes it should still buff ..... I think.

The draw back of the SS after you get all the kinks worked (annealing, polishing) out, is that it is still actually "Stain Less" as in two words :) it will rust :( This is why I won't use it for pins or for inside bearing washers, on the outside it is wiped down and stays in good shape, but on the inside, it becomes a whole different story...

Glen, I hadn't considered the corrosion factor. I'll wait til I can get some nickel silver or just use brass over stainless washers. I don't mind the mixed colors but really wanted an all-silver look for a set of black horn with a turquoise wedge. Thanks for the insight.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but not all stainless will (most won't) rust unless it is contaminated, IE- peening with a carbon steel hammer, against a milks steel anvil, resting on mild steel while glowing red, contaminated sandpaper ect ect....
I occasionally fabricate SS parts for a local meat factory, the parts are soaked in brine and cleaned continuously and show zero sign of corrosion after years.
I'm not sure the grade of tig rods I use off hand, sorry...
I am curious about this now aswell, as I have considered using it recently.
thanks!

I've used it a couple times, but I stopped using it because it is really hard, which means peening gets tough. Plus as Glen mentioned, it can rust. Nickel silver is cheaper, polishes up better, and readily available anyway.

I use stainless brazing rod for pins as I was given it by the local welding shop and have not had any trouble with it other than it is a little bit harder than brass so you have to be more assertive with the peining hammer.
Here is one that I pinned using it.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/show-...ore-after.html

FWIW --

Good S/S alloys (in the 3xx series) won't rust _if they're in contact with air or dissolved oxygen in water_. They _will_ rust in oxygen-deprived environments, stagnant water in particular.

So the underside of a washer (against the scales), which is damp, but which doesn't have oxygenated water flowing over it -- that _can_ rust. So can the pins where they go through the scales.

Nickel-silver (or Monel, or more exotic stuff) is better for those situations.

Charles

Not all "Stainless Steels" are created equal. I used to work in a Milk process plant (Chief Engineer) we used 316L extensively due to it's resistance against corrossion and it's resistance to the very agressive chemicals used for cleaning. 316L is also used in marine environments with no corrossion issues. It is though very difficult to work.

The question is if you can obtain the correct grade in the sizes required.