How to tighten up a gold dollar

[DevinLT1966]

I have a Gold Dollar that was PIFed to me by Krodor, which I prefer over the vintage I got from Whipped dog (but that's another post). The one problem I have with the Gold Dollar is that the pivot is too loose. As I strop the blade the scales keep moving which messes with my angle.

Is there a way to tighten up the pivot? Or, do I need to rescale it? That wouldn't be the end do the world. I've been thinking about it anyway.

Thanks in advance.

 

[seattleshaver]

You just need to place the razor on a flat hard surface with the pivot pin flat against the surface, open the blade and then using a small ball peen hammer lightly (very lightly) tap the pivot pin.

This will tighten the pivot pin as it flattens the top. This is what you have to do when re-pinning after replacing scales.

 

[oakeshott]

I have exclusively vintage straights and many of them come loose. I researched this and one of the pieces of advice I got is to use a soup spoon to tighten the pivot pin. What you do is place one side of the pin on a hard metal surface (in this case, my vise), and hammer away with the bottom of the spoon. It's slower than using a real jewelers hammer, but you're much less likely to damage or scratch or crack the scales. It's worked great...up until the time my wife found the spoon.

oake

 

[Kentos]

You can so try the back if a spoon. GD pivots are pretty hard metal though so it might take a while.

 

[Firewalker]

Great advice, worked like a dream on an old Weck too.

 

[Haggises]

I have a Gold Dollar that was PIFed to me by Krodor, which I prefer over the vintage I got from Whipped dog

Me too

 

[Krodor]

You can so try the back if a spoon. GD pivots are pretty hard metal though so it might take a while.

This.

If it were brass or NiAg, I'd also say "lightly tap ever so gently" etc since those are softer metals, but dang, man, it's a friggin' GD, and WOW that pin is hard metal. I had to tighten a few up in the past and ended up denting my hammer, not the pin. My suggestion, then, is to find something heavy with hardened steel, and give it some light taps while it is on something else that is hardened steel. If those taps aren't enough, tap harder. And harder. It is just a GD after all. If you break it, who cares? Like I said, I actually damaged my hammer and work surface more than I damaged the pin.

Caveat: I do tend to just manhandle GD's into submission, not really caring about their aesthetics, so take that suggestion with a grain of salt if you'd like. That's the fun of a gold dollar, though. I tend to think of them like sliders from White Castle: buy 'em by the sack (or at least a few at a time).

Good luck!

 

[DevinLT1966]

Well I didn't have a jewelers hammer and I didn't feel like sleeping on the couch for using the wife's soup spoon. So I pulled out my 16oz framing hammer. A few light taps later and the old girl was tight. As I was stropping this morning I noticed that the problem wasn't so much the looseness of the pivot but the curve of the scales. In looking at it I think that I could re scale it, get rid of what I am calling the stop pin which would allow me to flatten the curve of the scales.

Guess it's time to order up a GD to practice on.

 

[paco664]

Give doc226 a pm... He is a scale making genius...

 

[Krodor]

Well I didn't have a jewelers hammer and I didn't feel like sleeping on the couch for using the wife's soup spoon. So I pulled out my 16oz framing hammer. A few light taps later and the old girl was tight. As I was stropping this morning I noticed that the problem wasn't so much the looseness of the pivot but the curve of the scales. In looking at it I think that I could re scale it, get rid of what I am calling the stop pin which would allow me to flatten the curve of the scales.

Way to go! I'll watch for that in any future PIF-fage I send out. Glad it is still treating you well.

Guess it's time to order up a GD to practice on.

Just one? Come on...increment that counter once or twice... ;D