How to fix cracked scales at pivot pin?

[AndroiDad75]

Everyone,

I am looking for a little advice. I have a pair of scales that cracked at the pivot pin. I have seen people say they were able to stabilize them, but I am looking for a "how to" on that process.

Do you stabilize them in tact? i.e. with the blade still attached to the scales

Or do you un-pin the razor, stabilize some how, drill a pilot hole and re-pin?

I think I have seen crazy glue, or epoxy, suggested. Is there a preference of one over the other for stability and longevity? I really like these scales, as they are pretty old, and I'd like to keep them as long as I can.

 

[gdgeorge]

As a woodworker, I use CA (superglue) to finish pens and other small turnings, and to stabilize blanks that aren`t sound enough to turn as is. It works well but but too much will make your scales look like plastic.

 

[Doc226]

Cracks at pivot pins are tough because it is a high stress area.

I have had some success with CA glue to get things together, then roughing up the inside of the scales and applying a piece of silk cloth with fast drying epoxy, letting it all cure and sanding the silk flush with the scales. You need to put a sheet on both side as the angle is changed if you only apply it to the cracked side.

 

[AndroiDad75]

Cracks at pivot pins are tough because it is a high stress area.

I have had some success with CA glue to get things together, then roughing up the inside of the scales and applying a piece of silk cloth with fast drying epoxy, letting it all cure and sanding the silk flush with the scales. You need to put a sheet on both side as the angle is changed if you only apply it to the cracked side.

Hmmm... I am not sure I have the skills to pull this off. I can give it a try, and if it doesn't work, then I can just replace them - which is what I'd have to do anyhow. Nothing to lose.

Thanks Doc!!!

 

[Thomas Martin]

Simple solution would be glueing the scales on a supportive material (vulcanite for instance). You can choose a coulour complementary to the original scales that would even add some esthetic value too the original scales. Perhaps that would need thinning of the original scales. Right now, I'm waiting on a sheet of red and black vulcanite in 0.8 mm in to glue a set of ivory pins that are cracked at the pivot. I'll post the result.

 

[FILLY14]

You may be able to glue in place an very thin liner lets say a 1mm piece of acrylic of a similar colour or even a contrasting colour as they use on custom fixed blade knife handles I would go down this route If I was serious about keeping the scales.

 

[The Mick]

I've only had success once with this on a pair of horn. I used Gamma's hornoxy method.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/362793-You-don-t-need-to-be-a-pro-to-restore-a-razor

I let it cure for over a month only because I had other things to do but the result was it worked. The other times I tried was with CA and I didn't wait very long so I can't say if it works well or not giving it time to really cure.