question for a beginner?

this could be a stupid question but I am new at this, do you peen the pins that hold your handle on, I am using a piece of elk and I did not know wether i just slid the pins in with glue or did i need to peen them? any help needed. thenks
 
Peening involves some risk of over-expanding the end of the pin and causing the handle material to crack or split open. Most guys just epoxy the pins with handle materials that are prone to cracking. If you do want to peen them I suggest taking some practice on scraps first. Knowing how to dress/chamfer the hole, how much pin to leave sticking out, and when to stop peening, are critical and take some experience to get the hang of.
 
For whatever its worth, I think this is really a good question and why this sub-forum exists. I was wondering the same question about scales on slip joint folders.
 
I'll add a little question of my own. For antler hidden tang handles with a lot of character/surface roughness, I've seen some of the pins with a rounded end instead of being ground flush. Looks to be suitable if grinding a "flat" at the pin would detract from the handle appearance. Is there a tool to do this aside from just rounding the pin on the grinder and slipping it in? Also, does the epoxy clean up well from the surface grain of the antler or is there a trick to it?
 
Frank Hunter, to answer your question, there is a tool to do this, but if you have a drill press, or even a hand drill clamped in the vice, you can round the ends very easy, just chuck your pin in the drill, turn it on , and take a small file and round the pin to the shape you want, then use sandpaper in the same manner to smooth it up. The epoxy comes off easy while still wet, just wipe any off the antler with a acetone dampend cloth.
Dale
 
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