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Vintage razor cracks in handles - cosmetic or problematic?

I almost bought a Tuckaway handle today, but will probably not go through with it as it has 2 hairline cracks in it (1/8" top and bottom).

Are cracks like these repairable? Does plating over them solve anything? What do they mean in terms of longevity and not ending up with a broken handle?
 
Hello Teppanyaki, the cracks in the handles are a common problem, a result of the weakening of the metal, and old age. Something to do with the way the handles were made. They are sometimes only a cosmetic issue, as the cracks are a bit unsightly, however they are a problem of they get very large. I've seen cracks that run the entire length of the handle, rendering the handle useless, as neither end piece would stay in. Personally, I always have a friend of mine repair the cracks in my handles with Epoxy. That is what he recommended. He has worked as a mechanic most of his life and he is familiar with metals. I had one of the handles he repaired replated, and the plating company representative indicated that Epoxy was the proper adhesive. The handle turned out excellent. What my friend did was remove the end or ends near the cracks, clean and score the inside of the handle, and the part of the end or ends that is inserted into the handle, then apply the Epoxy to the places he scored the metal, then put it all together, and place it in a small vise with a rag wrapped around it to prevent damage to the outer finish. He then allows the handle to stay there for 24 hours. This allows the Epoxy to dry. I don't know what brand Epoxy he uses. I hope this information helps. God Bless, and good night sir.
 
Thanks! It's great to think that with epoxy (and plating?) a cracked handle can be adequately repaired and continue to work well. At least that's what I'm reading into your post. Except the part about if you can replate an epoxied handle (I would assume so).
 
Hello Teppanyaki, the cracks in the handles are a common problem, a result of the weakening of the metal, and old age. Something to do with the way the handles were made. They are sometimes only a cosmetic issue, as the cracks are a bit unsightly, however they are a problem of they get very large. I've seen cracks that run the entire length of the handle, rendering the handle useless, as neither end piece would stay in. Personally, I always have a friend of mine repair the cracks in my handles with Epoxy. That is what he recommended. He has worked as a mechanic most of his life and he is familiar with metals. I had one of the handles he repaired replated, and the plating company representative indicated that Epoxy was the proper adhesive. The handle turned out excellent. What my friend did was remove the end or ends near the cracks, clean and score the inside of the handle, and the part of the end or ends that is inserted into the handle, then apply the Epoxy to the places he scored the metal, then put it all together, and place it in a small vise with a rag wrapped around it to prevent damage to the outer finish. He then allows the handle to stay there for 24 hours. This allows the Epoxy to dry. I don't know what brand Epoxy he uses. I hope this information helps. God Bless, and good night sir.

I've used the Locktite marine grade epoxy with no problems.

Teppanyakki
As noted they are a cosmetic problem till they get large enough to cause the end parts to come off and the bad news is there is little to no warning when that point of failure is reached.
I had an Old Type in real great condition with an imperceptible crack near the top, I cleaned it up,gave the head a couple of tugs(not hard but enough to be sure I was secure)loaded up the razor and shaved with no problems.
Second pass of day number 2 I'm midstroke and suddenly the head cants up at a 45 degree angle and the head assembly is hanging by a thread,no warning and the "imperceptible" crack is still the same size.
Fortunately it let go in such a way that the blade maintained an angle that would not dig in so I switched razors and completed my shave and epoxied the Old Type ASAP.
 
OK, I want to make sure I understand this process (and the wiki), as I now have a ball end handle with a tiny crack and am considering a Tuckaway handle in the future. I remove the ends, score the inside (maybe), fill the handle cavity with a solid rod and a coating of epoxy to essentially fill the entire handle and provide a base of support, and then pipe clamp it together to dry?

Is there a way to cover the crack externally so when you plate the razor the crack doesn't show?
 
Good Morning Teppanyaki, in my case we did not insert a solid rod into the handle, we just scored the inside of the handle where the ends are inserted, and the part of the ends that fit into the handle, and then applied epoxy to those areas, and the crack itself. When it is all assembled and placed in the vise, we also wiped off the epoxy that oozed out of the crack before it dried. We had to arrange the rag in such a way that we could see the crack. Then clamp the vise snug. That way we could wipe away any ooze. I hope this input helps. Also as far as plating the handle I had mine replated in nickel and I don't notice the cracks. Good luck in your endeavor sir.
 
Good Morning Teppanyaki, in my case we did not insert a solid rod into the handle, we just scored the inside of the handle where the ends are inserted, and the part of the ends that fit into the handle, and then applied epoxy to those areas, and the crack itself. When it is all assembled and placed in the vise, we also wiped off the epoxy that oozed out of the crack before it dried. We had to arrange the rag in such a way that we could see the crack. Then clamp the vise snug. That way we could wipe away any ooze. I hope this input helps. Also as far as plating the handle I had mine replated in nickel and I don't notice the cracks. Good luck in your endeavor sir.

Thank you very much!
 
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