What's on your work bench right now?

[lloydw]

I cleaned up a nice spalding razor yesterday but the scales broke when unpinning. The blade is not pristine but I went 600-2000 and then fitz polish. A few marks that probably need 200 grit for a couple days. I am happy with the finish though.
the wedge is glued so I inserted a g10 liner just to support the broken area at the blade side pin, not the full length. Used what I had and thought of leaving out washers but installed them anyway. The crack is still visible but it seems solid. The scales were sanded to 5000 and fitz polish by hand.

I love the cherry red scales and am happy that I could save them. This razor is the scrappy brother to a spalding I found NOS a few years ago. Now it’s a little more presentable.

 

[lloydw]

Another clean up - this one today and the blade only saw 800-1200-2000-3000. I f8bd the f7ner grits relatively quick. Again , some spot# could probably use 2 days of 150 or 220 grit but I am not that patient anymore.

also cherry red scales - the ‘back’ side was cracked and white so I sanded down to try get that colorful translucency - 600-800-800-1200-2000-3000-5000-fitz polish. Seems like a lot of steps but it was quick.
another great razor to add in to the rotation - goes into ‘for honing’ box for now but looking forward to using it.

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

Most scales crack or break when tapping the pin out the back side, (bent pin). So, if you lift the top scale off the drilled pin carefully you greatly reduce the risk of breaking the scale.

Once the top scale and blade are removed, clip the pin close to the back scale and it will come out without issue.

I have seen near invisible repairs with fine fiberglass mesh and epoxy on the inside of plastic scales.

Nice work.

 

[Mr Bedlington]

Finished up this morning making a new set of scales for my Fredrick Reynolds, used Kirinite Faux Tortoiseshell with nickel silver pins and stainless steel washers, I used a traditional wedge I had in my spare parts box, Kirinite always looks good it's hard as hell but it takes a lovely finish.

 

[Frank Shaves]

That Kirinite tortoiseshell really looks nice. Great job!

 

[pawelgpawel]

cherry red scales looks great with black and white wedge

 

[lloydw]

Finished up this morning making a new set of scales for my Fredrick Reynolds, used Kirinite Faux Tortoiseshell with nickel silver pins and stainless steel washers, I used a traditional wedge I had in my spare parts box, Kirinite always looks good it's hard as hell but it takes a lovely finish.

View attachment 1599142

Those are beautiful. Your photos are amazing too. I find myself trying to get some used sandpaper, bits of tape and a tea mug out of the frame before I get my picture done.

 

[lloydw]

cherry red scales looks great with black and white wedge View attachment 1599266View attachment 1599267View attachment 1599268View attachment 1599269

Amazing work - that wedge is beautiful. That detail must have taken lots of practice. Those pins are perfect too. Very inspiring

 

[lloydw]

Most scales crack or break when tapping the pin out the back side, (bent pin). So, if you lift the top scale off the drilled pin carefully you greatly reduce the risk of breaking the scale.

Once the top scale and blade are removed, clip the pin close to the back scale and it will come out without issue.

I have seen near invisible repairs with fine fiberglass mesh and epoxy on the inside of plastic scales.

Nice work.

Thanks for the info - i had a few pieces of g10 available and saw orange as least disruptive. Fibreglass seems teh way to go - a new skill to learn maybe in the future

I have figured out a slower process for unpinning - ive lost lots of the scales on these older japanese razors. i find the holes have no give on the pins and the wedges are glued on the other side - many are mushroomed quite deep and many are bent as you state.
I file down as flat as i can go, protecting acrylic with tape. I do this both sides as I dont know which side is closer to the bend. Using a punch - i tap lightly to see which side will come loose first. with one side identified, I lightly tap and I stop before the pin is even loose from the inner face of the 1st or upper set of scales. I have seen that pushing fully through even one set of scales is still forcing a condensed pin with a very tight hole in the acrylic.
This means the other side is sitting proud by maybe only 2-3mm. I then turn over and file this pin vertically - removing all the mushroom shape i couldnt get to initially. thinning the diameter of the pin. This allows me to turn over and push out a thinner 'unmushroomed' head.

I hope that makes sense - takes more time but it is working for me now.

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

It is pushing the pin through that breaks out the bottom scale. Lift off the top scale and you don’t have to push the pin, just cut it off once the top scale and the blade are removed.

I see what you are saying but still risky on brittle material, like Ivory. I drill all my pins on a drill press, just take your time and make a jig from wood and foam to hold the razor steady.

If careful you can often save the collars.

 

[Legion]

I’ve finished running up felt socks for my loose hones (for now), so time for the razors.

I keep my bulk razors in scientifically climate controlled pickle jars. Works well enough except they have the potential to scuff each others scales up, or even open in the jar.

So, simple solution. A bunch of felt rolls, then throw them back in the jar. They only take about ten minutes to make, depending on the number of pockets.

 

[Legion]

cherry red scales looks great with black and white wedge View attachment 1599266View attachment 1599267View attachment 1599268View attachment 1599269

Wow. Really nice job.

Tell me about the domed washers/pins you used. They look good.

 

[pawelgpawel]

It is easy to make domed washers.
You need to make jig. Drill a hole in piece of steel. For 3.8 mm O/D washer use 4mm drill.

Now place washer inside the hole.

Now place 3.5 mm steel ball from ball bearing (you can buy them from eBay)

Now give a good hit with tap to create domed washer.

You have just created domed washer.

Now is the time to make chamfer inside hole using sharp drill.

 

[pawelgpawel]

Mushroom that you create during pinning should go inside chamfer.

 

[pawelgpawel]

This is te cheapest but not the best way to create domed washers. Ordynarny washers are made on press and they are not perfectly rounded. The proper hight quality washers are made on cnc lathe or manual. I like washers from sr manufacture. You can find them on eBay. They are excellent quality.

 

[pawelgpawel]

My secound favourite method of pinning razor is to use two washers one bigger and one smaller.

 

[Frank Shaves]

My brain continues to be amazed at how simple the methods are for making all of this very cool looking stuff. I think that I have some wider washers that I could dome.

Thanks for sharing, @pawelgpawel!

 

[Legion]

Mushroom that you create during pinning should go inside chamfer. View attachment 1600313View attachment 1600315View attachment 1600314

Very nice tutorial Thanks!

 

[2bit_collie]

My latest restoration project. A few months ago I bought a pair of razors on e-Bay. Mainly I was going for a 7/8 W&B wedge which I was able to get shaving fairly quickly. But the 2nd of the pair was really thrashed - rust and a chipped edge on the blade, and the horn scales were filled with bug bites.

So I figured that I would do slowly work through it when I had time. First i removed the scales and decided that they were shot. Then I focused on sanding off the rust with 100 grit W/D. When I finally was unwilling to go further, I reshaped the heel to take out a smaller chip near the shoulder and to give some space once the edge was pulled back past the chips. After that I put it on a Shapton Glass 500 to take out the chips. I purposely pressed harder on the back portion so that I was mostly removing metal near the heel and not losing any more edge than necessary at the toe, which had been in much better shape. I had thought of breadknifing the edge, but since the bevel had originally measured at 17.5deg, I decided to maintain the bevel angle by taking off the metal with the spine on the stone.

I had pulled out a piece of wood to make new scales, but then @Frank Shaves pointed out that it would look great in black horn - the original scale material. That reminded me that I had made a pair of scales over a year ago in black horn. It never got used because the holes were at a standard spacing, which doesn’t work on most mid-19th Century razors. It was thick, like most of my early scales, but I took it down from 4.5mm to 3mm. I then finished a camel bone wedge that I had started for these scales and never finished.

I’ve seen better work from other members on B&B but this is definitely the best job I have done to date. Pretty pumped.

 

[Derwent]

Working in an old Sheffield I picked up cheap last year.

C. Myers & Son.

Scales are rough and I don't like them, so Tasmanian Blackwood it is...

Hand planed to 3mm, ut out with a coping saw, masking tape on the back and I'll glue the tape to tape with a couple of dots of super glue before I finish shaping.
Seprates easy.