Since one grip scale bowed outward a little (probably due to unevenness of the tang rather than the scale itself) I pressed it into place with epoxy and weights, using one pin to ensure it was sitting in the correct position.
I cut up the pins with the angle grinder and gently rounded off the ends to prevent raggedness when peened. They should protrude above the scales just a few millimeters on both ends. If you cut them too long, you can grind them down a bit; obviously, if they're even a little too short, you have to start over.
Any old block of metal can serve as an anvil for setting the pins. Hammer them down until they're flush with the scales. The hammer does unfortunately leave discolored marks on the wood which need to be sanded off and a final coat of linseed oil applied.
Here you can see that the scales were a bit too short to cover the triangular ricasso.
With handling, the slick appearance and stickiness imparted by the linseed oil will dry up. The dagger is far more comfortable to hold with the scales in place. The leaf shape gives it plenty of blade presence; it feels like a chopping blade despite being little more than a foot overall.
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