re-tapping DE razor handle threads

[Mick]

I usually don't ask for help on B&B... but.....

Has anyone had to re-tap a DE razor handle?

I bought a couple of handles (used) and one of them has the treads mashed. It has been long enough that I really can't contact the person I bought them from so I am stuck with either tossing it out or cleaning up the threads. Never tried the handle until I decided to use it last night which is when I found that it would not thread on any heads.

I don't think a standard tap will work as it might not go deep enough as all I have seen have a pretty long taper.

It is a nice newer Muhle chrome plated handle so I would like to "salvage" it if possible.

I should also point out that I am not very "handy" when it comes to fixing things (rather an understatement)

So toss your advice out there for me

 

[xillion]

For cleaning up the threads on handles I use an M5 x .8 bottom tap.
It has a flat tip rather than pointed and it allows me to go deep
enough to clean up all of the threads.

Here is what mine looks like.


I bought it on the bay for a few bucks, but they can be purchased at most
automotive and hardware stores.

Using the M5 x .8 tap will allow you to mount Gillette and other US threaded
heads on your Mühle handle. Here is some info from the late Cooncatbob
regarding Mühle threads.

Well I received my M5 x .8 D4 tap today and it's virtually identical to a over sized #10-32 H11 tap. The metric tap is a few .001s larger.
So a Gillette head will screw in to a Muhle handle but a Muhle head might not screw into a Gillette handle, a lot of Gillette's have over sized threads.

This is what had me confused, Merkur heads and handles would interchange with most Gillette's and they ones that didn't I thought was due to the plating.
I work in cabinets and the threads are #8-32 and the Euros are M4.
Well they are close but you can only get about 2 turns before they jam, so I never thought that a metric and a imperial would be interchangeable.

If you have a handle with #10-32 threads just enlarge them with a M5 X .8 metric tap, takes less time to do then to type this.

Also, this page has info on the different types of taps.

 

[taco8slo]

Chris, thanks for the very informative post!