I have just started hearing more and more about glass head pins...and then I ran across this thread with even more supporters so I think they will be on my Christmas list. : )

I just use my fingers when i need to initiate an open pressed seam. I have a Rowenta which has a nice point but it is a heavy iron...

How wonderful you all are to take the time to answer my questions. Guess I will just stick with my Black and Decker iron. Sounds as if glass head pins are the favorite. Just bought some. The long ones seem to bend very easily though.

One thing that makes it easier to press seams open is a "seam stick."

They are available online:
http://www.nancysnotions.com/product...+seam+stick.do
http://www.thesewingplace.com/Seam-Stick-p/nt-ss.htm

By laying your seam atop a seam stick to press the seam open, you won't catch other nearby seams and "un-open" them.

You can make your own seam stick easily. Get a round length of wood, like a dowel, or a closet bar. The diameter should be an inch and a quarter or an inch or thereabouts. Too small and it's hard to use, too big and you will have a hard time finding a place to buy one.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Make...for-Tailoring/

It can be whatever length you want it to be. Shorter is nice for short seams, blocks, and if you keep a small pressing station at your sewing machine. Longer (like from a closet bar) is nice for long seams, like strip sets. This is especially useful on strip sets or large sections of a quilt that are already completed, where you might press one seam open and not notice that you have also caught a previously pressed seam allowance and dislocated it. This is especially true if your iron is large or not very pointy.

You can use the stick as is (round), but it will tend to roll when you use it. If you or someone you know has a table saw, cut the stick down its length.

Making it half-round means it won't roll on the ironing board when you use it. It also means you get an extra one you can share with a friend. Or make the cut a little off-center and your stick will sit up off the ironing board enough that it is easier to pick up. (You can get your fingertips under the edge this way.)

You can also wrap the wood with fabric or batting, if you do not want to press directly on wood.

I got a closet bar and cut it into two lengths... a long one for strip sets, and the shorter piece for a pressing station at my sewing machine.

It works great.
...dany

I took a class where the instructor let us use her seam sticks, and it worked great. Hers were not covered in canvas, just plain, unfinished wood. When she said that they were $15 apiece I almost fell over.

A few weeks later I made a stop at Home Depot's molding department and found a length of rounded molding with a flat back. I had to ask three different workers before I could ascertain that they would sell a one foot piece. I got some funny looks when I explained to the man who cut it that it would be a sewing tool, but I walked out of the store with my seam stick for $3 and change. I had to sand the edges when I got home, but it was easier than cutting a closet rod in half.

I have only used glass head silk pins for over 40 years. You can iron over them without melting them. The Hobbico Craft Iron opens seams great.

I press seams open using a tailor's ham that I have had for many years. I find that it works better than trying to open them flat on the ironing board. Saves the burnt fingers. I also like the glass headed pins. I am quick to throw away ones than bend and I try to never sew over them.

I like Clover piecing pins. They are thin, have a glass head. I get them on Amazon. They are not available everywhere. They are actually labeled piecing but are similar to silk pins. The heads on them are small.

I rarely press seams open so am not much help on the iron question.

I took the roll from foil wrap and pushed in one side to flatten. Wrapped in batting and fabric. works great You can purchase half-round also.

I like the flower head pins and use them pretty much for everything unless I have very small pieces. I have a Rowenta that has the sharpest point of any iron I've ever owned and it works great for pressing seams open.