All,
Barr Quarton wants to forge some hook pins (some might call them drift pins)- the kind used for scribe fit ups - at the upcoming Western Conference. If popular there, he might make more for general sale. Does anyone have a favorite design they could share? Photos with tape measure or drawings with dimensions welcome. Please e-mail to will@tfguild.org so I can forward them on to him, but of course you can share them here too.
Thanks.

will,

I wish we had ours made tapering from 3/8 to 1' over about 16". then they could be used for 3/4" to 1" peg holes. Ours are only 12" long and the taper is too fast to use it in anything under about 7/8".

Of the forged versions, I like the ones with an eye rather than the ones you have to pry up with a lever. It's easy to stick another pin in the eye and twist -- out she comes.

Gabel, could you have them drawn out more? You may just get what you want.

Tim

Will, I responded to your email. There are photos on here, I'll search later for them, and add to this thread. Off to work now.

Tim,

They were machined (turned on a lathe) rather than forged and they're stainless steel. I guess we could have them drawn out more -- what do you think?

I found the photos, Dave, on this Forum, Dave, thanks.

Here are ours, FYI:

If it was me I would try one and see how it went. It appears they are limited in the shape are now.

I would like more opinions on the tee or the eye?

Tim

I had the t-type pin on the right made by a blacksmith in CT. It's been a while now, but I believe he just bought 3/4" rod. They were $25 each. It would have been lots more money to have him make the eye type. I prefer those as well, but if you're buying pins in quantity it adds up in price.

I've got a new design that a forge has made for me, and I'll be picking it up next Wednesday.

I will be testing it to see how it works.

If it works, I made take orders and have them do a run for us.

That would be great Jim! With a trip hammer, they would be pretty easy to make, but by hand, there is a lot of time involved, especially if you make a nice eye. I've got to make some for a scribed barn that I'm repairing, and I will probably make them simple, either a 90 or 180 bend.

Actually, the most time consuming part is the development of the pin. You have to measure what you start with, and what you end up with so you can make them consistently. Once you have a system, they take about 20 minutes each for a simple eye or 180 bend. With a trip hammer, you could probably draw the taper in one heat. This is for 3/4" stock. I'd like some that were from 1". That's a lot of pounding, and you'd probably want a helper with a 6 pound hammer helping out.

Here are a few different pins I've made:

From today: a simple eye and a 180 bend.



These two pins I traded to Jim for a nice old hand forged chisel. They have a drawn eye, a bit nicer than a simple eye.