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Your thoughts on inner washers...

I have not done a lot of scale replacements, but the few I have done were re-scaling blades that I really liked. When I separate the blade from the damaged scales I find that some razors have a thin inner washer (on the inside of the scales next to the tang) (some are a thin plastic and others are a very thin brass) and others don't have this inner washer, i.e. the tang is against the inner part of the scales. What are your thoughts on this? When you put on new scales do you always insert an inner washer (scales, inner washer, blade, inner washer, scales)?
 
There are fans on both sides of this. I like and use them.

I think they help separate the tang and scales and allows drying if any water gets in there. It can also help keep the tang from getting scratched.

I always use brass and I make it thin


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I am planning to put pivot washers in a Wade & Butcher I am restoring. I have two sizes of #0 brash washers. Should I use the larger size for the pivot washers?

BTW, I am planning to hammer the pivot washers to make them thinner.

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I think they help separate the tang and scales and allows drying if any water gets in there. It can also help keep the tang from getting scratched.

This sums it up for me. I’ve only rescaled one razor without inner washers, and it was so difficult to keep dry that it eventually developed rust on the tang.
 
I am planning to use the larger of the two washer sizes in the above photo for the pivot washers. Please shout out if you think I am barking up the wrong tree.
 
I am planning to use the larger of the two washer sizes in the above photo for the pivot washers. Please shout out if you think I am barking up the wrong tree.

Yup, I would flatten them out some by pounding them out-you will have to ream the hole some after.


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I flattened the washers using an 8 oz hammer whose flat head I “polished” with sandpaper and steel wool. Afterward, I reamed the holes with a 1/16 inch bit and am able to fit the 1/16 inch rod through the holes. I thought I might need to go to 5/64 inch but not needed.

Now I just need to put the razor back together but that’s for next weekend.

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I put thin brass pivot washers in a Wade & Butcher Magnun Bonum I have been restoring. The blade moves very freely - actually too freely with the scales not applying enough resistance to stop the blade from dropping due to gravity. Is this the nature of pivot washers or is it possible to get the scales tight enough to provide resistance when using pivot washers?
 
I put thin brass pivot washers in a Wade & Butcher Magnun Bonum I have been restoring. The blade moves very freely - actually too freely with the scales not applying enough resistance to stop the blade from dropping due to gravity. Is this the nature of pivot washers or is it possible to get the scales tight enough to provide resistance when using pivot washers?
I find the trick is to cut the pin to the right length so that when it is mushroomed it is tight...if that makes sense. I achieve this by using an elastic to bind the scales together with everything in place (washers, blade, and scales). I find if the pin is too long peening it does not shorten it very much, so it has to be just the right length to peen it tight.
 
I am still climbing the learning curve on the pinning and peening. With the pivot washers plus two stacked washers on each end, there was a lot of "stuff" jingling around, and I suspect that I did not squeeze the scales together sufficiently when I measured and clipped the protruding rod. What I really need is a third hand or a tail :).

Can I simply file some of the mushroomed head off, and continue to squeeze the two scales together with my non-dominant hand and peen?

What I am seeing is that the mushroomed head does not actually fuse with the washer under it and that squeezing the scales together when peening helps to gain tightness. This is not rocket science but there are a few basic principles that you need to understand.
 
I always use thrust washers on the inside of the scales at the pivot. Always. They have to be super thin made for purpose, not just regular washers. They help keep tension, prevent wear to the scales. Blade usually pivots more smoothly too.
 
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