Scales Problem?

[rbscebu]

I am note sure if this is right or wrong. I hope some here can educate me on this.

My first SR arrived last week. It is a Titan T.B. 60 with dark-red Mahogany scales. The blade does not appear to be properly held when closed into the scales. What I mean by this is that:

• I close the blade by pressing it into between the scales.
• If I the then turn the SR upside-down (spine down, edge up) the blade just pivots out of the scales through about 110 deg under gravity.

Is this normal or should the blade stay within the scales under the effect of gravity?

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[musicman980]

If it falls out by gravity alone then it’s too loose. Some have tightened the scales by tapping the pin with the underside of a spoon, but I just gently use a hammer. Preferably ball peen.

 

[rbscebu]

I thought that the gravity fall was not right. I also considered tightening the pivot pin, however the current blade friction is just about right from 110deg to 270deg from closed. Tightening the pivot pin may increase that friction too much.

The opening between the scales currently goes from 3.4mm near the wedge pin to 4.3mm near the pivot pin. The wedge appears not to be a wedge but parallel. There does not appear to be any washers at the pivot pin.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

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[rbscebu]

The blade is a full hollow 6/8 with a spine width of 3.9mm.

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When pressed into the scales, the tip looks like this:

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When I release the pressure the blade springs out and looks like this:

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[Slash McCoy]

Washers are not needed and IMHO are not a good idea at all. YMMV. Yes, a wedge should be a wedge, not merely a spacer. However the scales of a Titan are very thick and not very flexible. The wedge is supposed to wedge the scales apart so that in pinning the pivot, they are flexed inward, so that there is an outward bow in them, and the tips of the scales are pointing inward toward each other a bit. Those scales will not flex much and so having a spacer instead of a wedge is not such a bad thing. The angle of the wedge makes a great deal of difference in how the razor is retained between the scales, moves freely within a certain arc, and finds resistance at a certain hyperextended angle. This level of craftsmanship will most definitely NOT be seen in any razor at less than about the $150 range. The makers do not even know ABOUT this, much less how to do it, so you can't expect Rolls Royce level engineering or fit and finish in a razor that costs less than lunch. What you are getting is a piece of decent cutlery steel that happens to be shaped more or less like a razor and can be used as one. I am sure that the production engineering team have never even noticed that a real razor has a wedge, and if they do, they probably are totally ignorant of the fact that it serves a function.

A large spoon makes a very good pinning "hammer". That is what I use, not some teeny weeny little hammer like some watchmaking gnome might use. If you tighten the pivot, be sure you don't overdo it or you will regret it for HOURS as you decide what kind of scales you REALLY want on the razor. Just sayin.

 

[Gamma]

Most likely, the blade is springing back out because the tang is too wide for where it slips into the scales. That sort of positioning is typical of blades in scales without a real wedge, and/or blades in scales that weren't made correctly. The wedge should create a bow in the scales so when you pin them at the pivot they follow the taper of the blade, if there is one.
Generally speaking, I find pivot washers to be indispensible. But I don't think they'll offer you much of a performance gain in this situation. But - they just might allow enough clearance to allow the blade to sit in the scales correctly.
The pivot pin appears to be huge, is this some sort of Faux Dollah razor? If it is one of those $2 Shenzen specials, then I wouldn't sweat the mounting refinements, or lack of. There are bigger fish to fry.

 

[rbscebu]

Gamma, I think you have found the problem. After a very careful examination of the blade/scales interface, the tang near the shoulder is a very tight fit into the scales.

For me there appears to be two options, grind the tang or sand the scales. Not wanting to ruin the finish on a good blade, I will consider sanding the inside of the scales in way of the shoulder-tang area and see if that helps.

 

[rbscebu]

I have now basically fixed my scales problem. By sanding the inside of the scales in way of the tang/heel and tightening the pivot pin a bit, I was able to get the blade to stay in the scales under gravity when inverted.

The blade is a bit tighter at the pivot pin but still quite acceptable. At under USD 30 for SR, strop and stone, this is one of Titan's cheaper razors so I was not expecting much.

All part of the SR learning curve.