John,
Here in the U.S., plain steel cylindrical dowel pins are most commonly LC steel that has been case hardened. You may be able to reconstitute the case by heating & quenching, but that would be drawing to an inside straight. Stainless steel cylindrical dowel pins are either (Austenitic) hard drawn, (Martensitic) hardened & tempered, or precipitation hardened -- making home retreating a crap's shoot at best.
The problem with a reconstituting a case hardened part is that the heating for hardening often (usually) dissipates the carbon (decarburizing) to surrounding areas reducing the ability to get a hard surface.