I am looking to find out what size of washers are used between the tang and the scales @ the pivot pin.
Thanks
Brian
Thanks
Brian
washer sizes
- Thread starter Mr Brian
- Start date
This is subjective. Microfasteners #0 FWBO can be used. I don't use any washers inside the scales. I find they make it harder to tighten the scales and provide a place for soap & gunk to get trapped. I recently bought a new Revisor that came with bushing washers in the scales. Due to the heft of the blade (an 8/8) the scales were a nuisance as they flopped around too much. I re-pinned the razor to remove the washers and it's fine now. JMHO
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
what he said.
I dont like washers inside the scales, either. I like to sand the inner face of the scale so that it steers the blade into the center as it closes. Have to use a really big washer to do that with a washer, and it has to be glued to the scale so it doesn't rotate. Easier to just not use washers. They serve no purpose. They widen the pivot and look sloppy. They make the scales flop instead of grab. Tried them a few times and regretted it, ended up repinning all, without the washers.
Some guys add washers in the pivot in a misguided attempt to center the blade, by moving the entire blade laterally. I think it is better to steer the blade by sanding inside the scales forward/aft of the pivot hole to aim the nose at the center of the wedge. Others have successfully used the 3 pins and a vise method to straighten the tang. Careful drilling and pinning of the razor can compensate for a tang that isn't perfectly straight. Using washers for this is sloppy IMHO. So what other purpose might washers serve, between scales and tang? I see no pros, and several cons.
I dont like washers inside the scales, either. I like to sand the inner face of the scale so that it steers the blade into the center as it closes. Have to use a really big washer to do that with a washer, and it has to be glued to the scale so it doesn't rotate. Easier to just not use washers. They serve no purpose. They widen the pivot and look sloppy. They make the scales flop instead of grab. Tried them a few times and regretted it, ended up repinning all, without the washers.
Some guys add washers in the pivot in a misguided attempt to center the blade, by moving the entire blade laterally. I think it is better to steer the blade by sanding inside the scales forward/aft of the pivot hole to aim the nose at the center of the wedge. Others have successfully used the 3 pins and a vise method to straighten the tang. Careful drilling and pinning of the razor can compensate for a tang that isn't perfectly straight. Using washers for this is sloppy IMHO. So what other purpose might washers serve, between scales and tang? I see no pros, and several cons.
I use these.
http://www.knifemaking.com/product-p/f40.htm
They are so thin that they don't bulk up the pivot. Sometimes depending on the scales I have to grind the outer diameter down a bit.
http://www.knifemaking.com/product-p/f40.htm
They are so thin that they don't bulk up the pivot. Sometimes depending on the scales I have to grind the outer diameter down a bit.
Thanks for this. I was actually considering using washers for precisely this purpose. I'll try sending the inside of the scales instead!
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
Okay, if you are not sure of how to do this, first determine which way you need to steer the blade. On the scale toward which you wish to move the nose, sand toward the big end of that scale, starting at the pivot point. This allows the blade to swing in that direction. On the other scale, the one you are steering the blade away from, sand toward the small end of the scale, starting at the pivot hole. This allows the tang to swing in that direction. Check the fit often, as you sand. I like to use a microfastener bolt here, for trial pinning.
Sometimes it doesn't take very much sanding at all. If it looks like it will take a lot, consider straightening out the tang instead. The only method that seems to work safely and reliably is the 3 pin method. To do this, first find the apex of the bend. Lay the razor on a flat surface and look for daylight underneath it. Flip it onto its other side and repeat. You should see on one side or the other a crescent of daylight beneath the tang. Mark the location. Secure a brass pin crossways to the tang here, with tape. On the opposite side, secure two more pins crossways to the tang, about 1" in either direction. Clamp the whole assembly in a bench vise and give it some pressure. Let it sit there for a few hours. Re-check the straightness and repeat as necessary. It takes a pretty good bit of pressure. You might get unlucky and break the razor. I have not seen this happen SO FAR. And sometimes in a day or two it will spring back slightly and require a repeat.
Sometimes the problem is the scales and not the blade. The pivot holes and the pivot hole of the blade do not line up correctly. Or the scales are warped. Or the pivot hole in the blade is not perpendicular. There are a bunch of ways to address these issues, the most effective of which is of course to rescale, taking special care with the pivot hole drilling. Sometimes simply drilling a true vertical hole is not sufficient. I like to assemble the scales and wedge, with one scale drilled for the pivot, then place the blade, wedge it into a perfectly centered position, and use the already drilled scale's pivot hole and the blade pivot hole as a guide for freehand drilling the remaining scale, using a hand drill or a pin vise. If you want perfection, you have to make allowances for pre-existing imperfections.
I have had some success with filling one pivot hole with epoxy and re-drilling as above. In order to keep the bit from walking, it may be necessary to temporarily glue or tape a small piece of brass sheet inside the scale to be drilled, so that the bit will start without any influence from the epoxy fill and differences in hardness or friction or surface flatness. A similar bit of brass, pre-drilled, is placed inside the other scale, for symmetry. Drill, remove the brass, and pin. Usually the washer (on the outer surface of the scale) will cover the fill job though you may in extreme cases need to resort to a larger outside diameter washer. I only do this if I really want to keep the scales.
That's very, very helpful. Thanks, Slash!
Great news! I was wondering if the inner washers were necessary. I have been unpinning some old ones for restoration and none of them have inner washers.
I find thrust washers to be indispensable. As for pivot tension 'issues', when everything is assembled correctly, everyting pins together as though they're not there. I'm writing this after, literally, hundreds of reassembled razors done successfully with thrust washers. Are they a must? To me, yes, to someone else, it's personal preference. The only razors I find soap and gunk in the pivot area is with poorly treated auction site blades.
One thing though, they need to be stupid thin, using regular washers, like we use on the outside of the scales, now - that will actually cause all sorts of grief.
One thing though, they need to be stupid thin, using regular washers, like we use on the outside of the scales, now - that will actually cause all sorts of grief.
