Turns out I suck at pinning...

[Dundee]

I was having trouble getting a restored razor to close without hitting the scales, and I noticed that the pin was in there at an angle. So I ended up looking at all the prior ones I have done, and they weren't straight either. Just never noticed until now.

What causes this? I noticed that the diameter of the pivot hole on the blade is quite a bit larger than my pins, so I was thinking maybe that's the cause.

 

[Gamma]

Typically, what you are describing is from hitting too hard and the pin might be too long also.
Another cause can be head-on pinning, the blows should glance off the pin to the side, they should not be direct like hammering in a nail.

 

[Kyle89]

How much rod is sticking out before you start to peen? If there's too much, it could bend the rod. Learned this the hard way.

 

[Dundee]

Typically, what you are describing is from hitting too hard and the pin might be too long also.
Another cause can be head-on pinning, the blows should glance off the pin to the side, they should not be direct like hammering in a nail.

How much rod is sticking out before you start to peen? If there's too much, it could bend the rod. Learned this the hard way.

Ah, that explains it. Been doing pretty much everything wrong

 

[Legion]

When you drill the holes in the scales, are you drilling them both at the same time? And are you using a drill press of some sort, so you know the drill bit is going in to an exact 90 degrees to the scales?

 

[Dundee]

When you drill the holes in the scales, are you drilling them both at the same time? And are you using a drill press of some sort, so you know the drill bit is going in to an exact 90 degrees to the scales?

Haven't needed to drill any yet, I have just been cleaning up the scales that come on the razors and they have all ended up being the right size for the pins I have.

 

[Frank Shaves]

I am wondering if the holes were not drilled at 90 degrees. I would just keep practicing your peening.

I had the opposite problem. After reading stories about people bending pins by hitting too hard, I was too careful and struggled to tighten pins enough and ended up filing off too much length. It's like Goldilocks, not too light, not too hard, just right.

For me, there is this sweet spot when the hammer it gently bouncing off the pin and you are able to establish a nice little rhythm - much like bouncing a ball.

 

[J B Addis]

I don't recall who said it first other than that it was someone on this forum, but if you're struggling to get the right amount of pin protrusion one washer's thickness is generally about right (for simple washers like the little brass or stainless kinds from microfasteners, not big beehives or bullseyes). What this means in practice is to put an extra washer on over the first one then snip it flush with your end cutters, and remove it before peening. It's worked for me when I've done it. Also worth noting that the tighter your washers fit on the pinning rod, the less material you'll have to spread out for a secure pin head/mushroom, and so the less you'll need to leave sticking out, but that's something to worry about when you've gotten the pinning process mostly learned and are looking for incremental improvements.

For keeping the pin straight and the scaled aligned while peening, especially at the very beginning, I like to put a rectangular piece of hard plastic (but any stable material would work) ~1x5/8x4" on my anvil and then pull the back edges of the scales against it. This helps ensure that scales and thus the pins aren't allowed to skew, a skew making it easier to accidentally bent the pin in my experience.

 

[Frank Shaves]

I cut the length to the diameter of the pin stock I am using as demonstrated by Charlie Lewis in this video:

 

[duke762]

At one time I believe we all sucked at pinning.

For me, there is this sweet spot when the hammer it gently bouncing off the pin and you are able to establish a nice little rhythm - much like bouncing a ball.

Yeah, I love that, some may disagree with the pounces but actually they are the best way to get it done. IMHO