I have an H Diamond 1000 that is a wonderful razor. However, the pivot pin is not tight enough and the allows the blade or handle to flop. I'd prefer a bit less of that.
How do I tighten the pivot pin?
- Thread starter Doc Dan
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rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
It's easy to fix. Just take it slowly with light taps. Like most SR shaving thing, never try to rush.
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Loose Pivot Pin
i have a Ralph Aust 6/8 Razor that I purchased new in November 2017. It has been my primary shaver over the past 2 months and I have noticed that the pivot pin has gradually loosened over the past 2 months. I have found that I like the pivot pin snug so the scales aren’t flopping around. Is this...
www.badgerandblade.com
Just go easy. It doesnt take much to tighten. But if you notice its not tightening, stop! The next thing that happens is bending the pin. After you bend a pin the blade might not close centered any longer.
But give it a try. A few small taps should make a difference.
I use a jewlery hammer and a highly polished anvil. Let us know how it goes.
But give it a try. A few small taps should make a difference.
I use a jewlery hammer and a highly polished anvil. Let us know how it goes.
If you dont have a little anvil and peening hammer you can improvise with something like a sledge hammer head in a vise, and the underside of a heavy soup spoon. Little taps, check the movement regularly.
- Thread starter
- #5
Thanks! I was afraid of exactly that, a bent pin. Also, I was afraid of cracking the scale. It must be done for safety, but the thought of doing it is scary.
The rule is, never hit the pin harder than you would hit your thumb. Do that and you should be safe.
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
It is rare to bend the pivot pin enough to move the blade off centre in the scales, although it can be done. The pivot pin hole is drilled through the blade before heat treatment. The drilled hole is often about 2.0mm or a bit more for a 1.5mm to 1.6mm pin diameter.
Don't sweat it.
Give it a try. as said above tap it about as hard as you would if you were tapping your thumb or finger. Too hard and you get a sore finger. As said a large spoon will work too. Put the opposite side of the pin on something very hard and stable and tap the other side four or five times. Test it. Do it again. You should find a difference in the tightness by then. Check the movement and centering of the blade. Do it a few times if you feel the need. Now if the scales are bone then splitting them is possible but I'm sure that razor came with plastic scales. So you would have to get really carried away to break them. Just be sure that the opposite side of the pin is on metal and not just the scales. That is when you break things.
As far as putting the blade "off center," it's more the fact that the scales will push out of alignment. One will be slightly higher than the other. That is what happens when you bend a pin. I've seen it many many times. Stand the razor up on its scales and it leans or won't stand up.
But don't worry about this until you have tapped on the pin a few times. Most of the time it doesn't take much to tighten. I've done hundreds of pins.
Give it a try. as said above tap it about as hard as you would if you were tapping your thumb or finger. Too hard and you get a sore finger. As said a large spoon will work too. Put the opposite side of the pin on something very hard and stable and tap the other side four or five times. Test it. Do it again. You should find a difference in the tightness by then. Check the movement and centering of the blade. Do it a few times if you feel the need. Now if the scales are bone then splitting them is possible but I'm sure that razor came with plastic scales. So you would have to get really carried away to break them. Just be sure that the opposite side of the pin is on metal and not just the scales. That is when you break things.
As far as putting the blade "off center," it's more the fact that the scales will push out of alignment. One will be slightly higher than the other. That is what happens when you bend a pin. I've seen it many many times. Stand the razor up on its scales and it leans or won't stand up.
But don't worry about this until you have tapped on the pin a few times. Most of the time it doesn't take much to tighten. I've done hundreds of pins.
- Thread starter
- #9
Well, thanks to all of you for your help. I managed to get it tight enough. Just exactly where I wanted it to be. I actually put the down side on the edge of my sink because the way it is shaped allowed me to put the pin head on it and not the scales. I tapped a bit on one side, turned it over, tapped a bit. Checked, repeated. Easy.
rbscebu
Girls call me Makaluod
You are now a SR pin-tightening expert!
On tile? Well, i guess if you didnt chip or break a tile then you know you wasnt hitting too hard. I hope you hid that spoon from the wife. The hammer marks are hard to hide. 
I just got an inexpensive SR in today and among other things the pivot is too loose. I was eager to attempt tightening it up based on the advice here.. I have an anvil. I have a spoon. but then noticed, this pin is actually a rivet. It's a rounded head on the nice side of the scales, and a rivet end on the other side.
Is there any hope of tightening this one?
Is there any hope of tightening this one?
My primary hobby is making sterling silver jewelry and while working on a pin seems normal, you just don't see rivets in fine jewelry.
I did a quick search online and for future reference to tighten a rivet you brace the head end and hit the cylindrical end (the squashed end).
So I put it with head down on my anvil and gave it a number of sharp raps with the back end of a spoon (seemed reasonable for being a light rounded hammer). Success it tightened up the pivot nicely.
Don't do what I did and use the "wrong" side of the hammer.
I have a 4 oz chasing hammer I bought from Rio Grande. I assumed I should use the larger side and wasn't making any progress. After watching a few videos, I learned that most guys use the smaller side, and then things began to improve.
I have a 4 oz chasing hammer I bought from Rio Grande. I assumed I should use the larger side and wasn't making any progress. After watching a few videos, I learned that most guys use the smaller side, and then things began to improve.
- Thread starter
- #15
A good spoon works great! That's what I used.
To tighten a pin, you mushroom the pin head, in your case only one side is workable, the other is fixed. Tapping the fixed side will have no effect. Many inexpensive razor are pinned with escutcheon pins, (nails). Inspect carefully before tightening, if you miss the pin, you can crack a scale.
You mushroom the head and expand the pin thickness in the scale. (A good reason to taper your pin holes when making new scales).
You must back the other side of the pin with a heavy object of some sort, anvil, hammer head or piece of steel, something that will not absorb the blow and transfer the blow’s energy to the head of the pin.
Use a hammer, preferably with a polished domed or round head, this will concentrate the force on a single spot on the head and mushroom the head, as the force goes through the pin it expands the pin in the scale slightly. The two actions tighten the pin. It is also what can crack a scale if over tightened.
Do a couple lite taps and test, do a couple more and test again. The best tool is a 3-6 oz polished ball peen hammer, the use of a heave steel backer is critical to transferring the force straight through the pin or you can ben the pin in the middle.
Ideally you want to tap the pin around the circumference of the pin head to evenly mushroom the head. It does not take much, the heavier the hammer the lighter the blow.
A loose razor is dangerous to hone, strop and shave with. With a proper hammer and anvil, you can tighten a pin in 3-10 taps.
You mushroom the head and expand the pin thickness in the scale. (A good reason to taper your pin holes when making new scales).
You must back the other side of the pin with a heavy object of some sort, anvil, hammer head or piece of steel, something that will not absorb the blow and transfer the blow’s energy to the head of the pin.
Use a hammer, preferably with a polished domed or round head, this will concentrate the force on a single spot on the head and mushroom the head, as the force goes through the pin it expands the pin in the scale slightly. The two actions tighten the pin. It is also what can crack a scale if over tightened.
Do a couple lite taps and test, do a couple more and test again. The best tool is a 3-6 oz polished ball peen hammer, the use of a heave steel backer is critical to transferring the force straight through the pin or you can ben the pin in the middle.
Ideally you want to tap the pin around the circumference of the pin head to evenly mushroom the head. It does not take much, the heavier the hammer the lighter the blow.
A loose razor is dangerous to hone, strop and shave with. With a proper hammer and anvil, you can tighten a pin in 3-10 taps.
