All About Pocket Knives

a few pics. excuse the clutter. belt sander, dremmel, slackner.
i'l show some tools next if interested.

not a bad sent up Johnnie, what did you make your slackener from? I use notched feeler guages myself.

yep, they work great. i'm gonna put a small handle on it .... someday.

here is a pin spinner. each end is a different size to fit small and large pins. the bottom of the pivot pin rests in a small fixed cup that just fits the pin. the spinner is chucked in and pressure is applied with the drill press to round, compress and set the pin.

I'm glad you're having good luck with the spinners, all mine does is rounds the end of the pin, dosen't spin a head or nuttin, oh well- thats why I keep a small ball peen in the shop.

you have to exert pressure to get the head to form.

oh believe me, I exerted pressure, from very little to as much as I could on my drill press, just can't seem to get it to work . Maybe I just wasn't holding my mouth right, I'll try i again

For those looking for a headspinner it is in the Jantz catalog (#44 206-2007) on page 32, part number KV 250 for $14.95; it is not on the website last I looked just in the catalog. I have a head spinner but I have been peening. I am still working on 7 fixed blades and designing 3 different sheaths for them (crossdraw, pouch, and Mexican Loop) and then I will get back to folders. I had hoped to be done, but a couple little things were on backorder and I still need to put together a metal cutting bansaw, not enough days in the week.

BTW, I am enjoying these threads, Knife Repair and Restoration could end up as a major category with several sub categories.

I have head spinners from Jantz Supply and from K & G. They are different sized, but neither seem to work really well. Like MM, I have a exerted as much pressure is my drill press will allow and it still doesn't do a great job. I have used it on high-speed and low-speed. Does anyone have the secret to using these little puppies?

Dale

are ya'll using something directly on the lower side of the pin? slightly cupped, a little larger than the pin. not touching the scales. i'll try to take a pic of mine.
funny, i prefer hammering them myself.

No,
I haven't been using anything under them. I would love to see what you use.

Also, do you know if the head spinners will work on nickel silver pins?

Thanks,
Dale

I lay it on a steel plate, nothing cupped and not touching the scales, maybe that is the trick. I like to hammer the pins too, but on brittle stuff like ivory I'd rather spin them than take a chance of peening them and cracking the scales. I'll have to try making a little something like the piece that you described and see if it works any better for me.

adrian a. harris' book covers spinning and has a good pic and how to section. better than kelley's. copyrights prevent showing these pics. i consider both of these books to be invaluable to the novice cutler(me). the trick is to put resistance on the pin equal to the cutting tool(spinner). compression closes the gaps just as peening does. care must be taken, not to put so much pressure from the spinner as to dig in to the scales. the spinner works on ns but takes a little longer. anybody else know of anything i've missed or am doing incorrectly, jump in. i am willing to learn. especially from my own mistakes. also, if this interests you jump in. not a bad skill to practice.

Thanks Johnnie,
I appreciate any help I can get.

Dale