Thread: My first restoration attempt.

Just confirming that pivot holes on older razors were punched hot & not drilled so they were never a uniform size & worked just fine.
I bushed the first W&B I ever restored but never really saw the need to do it again.

At the risk of sounding like a noob.....What's Rad?

This was for sure a punched pivot hole. I actually had to enlarge it slightly to accommodate the pin.

Razor Acquisition Disorder

You have no idea. I think my wife is going to lose her mind if she finds out how many I have now. Lol

Originally Posted by Cangooner

With time the hole has become worn, and is now quite larger than originally intended. This happens to many, if not most, older razors. Most pins are 1/16" diameter, so to keep the blade from flopping about on the pin, a good idea would be to fill the hole. This can be done either with a tube that fits into the hole you have and which has an interior diameter of 1/16", or by filling the existing hole with epoxy and then drilling out a new hole for whatever size pin you will use.

BTW, for anything to do with restoration, take a look here:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...wers-here.html

And for sleeving the hole:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...zed-pivot.html

Good choice to ease off on the sanding to save the etchings.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by Euclid440

Or just pin it tight, it will be just fine.

Tons of razor are punched just like that and have worked for years.

If do you cut a 1/16 ID tube to epoxy in the hole, cut it with a small tube cutter, hack saw or Dremel cutoff wheel with tube taped to a piece of wood, with a piece of 1/16 in rod in the tube to keep from smashing it. Tape keeps you from losing it.

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Just confirming that pivot holes on older razors were punched hot & not drilled so they were never a uniform size & worked just fine.
I bushed the first W&B I ever restored but never really saw the need to do it again.

I agree with Euclid440 & onimaru55. Many older straights were just punched so they weren't perfect like a drilled hole. They worked well at the time & still do for all that matters but for some that have become very loose, I will use a carbide drill bit first if it is still small enough, using a 3/32" bit & I have some 3/32" brass tubing which has a 1/16" ID which is perfect for the pivot pin size. If the pivot hole in the tang is even larger, I then will drill it with a 1/8" carbide drill bit. The ID on my 1/8" brass tubing is 3/32" which is perfect for putting a piece of the 3/32" tubing. Keep in mind though that if you do decide to drill one out with a carbide bit & the hole is elongated, you need to use a small rat tail file to get the hole as round as possible or the carbide drill bit will break because even though it is very hard, it is also a brittle metal. I once worked at a shop who sharpened cutting tools for machine shops that made oilfield equipment & the only thing we had was diamond wheels that could sharpen carbide drill bits, end mills & other carbide type cutting tools. Aside from that, I have done a few oversized pivots but some I left alone. In later years, some companies started drilling their pivot holes rather than punching them. The ones I usually see drilled are 3/32" in size but there are a few that are 1/16" sized plot holes.
There is however another type of fix when you have damaged scales, possibly oversized pivot holes in the scales & Tom aka Sharptonn told us about this guy on the "Butchered Blade" thread. I had seen the guy before on eBay but never thought about it until he (Tom) brought it up & I have since made 2 purchases from this guy who is in Germany. He has rivets that have a steel pivot pin but it can also be changed out to nickel silver or sterling silver rod. Here's a link to his kits which have some different type collars:

Cut Throat Razor Repair Needs Pins Cat Eye Bulls Eye | eBay

Although I haven't tried them yet, they are a great idea for a fix! Tom has used them several times & very successful with them.