Thread: love the shave, but gripping this razor is odd.. ever have this problem?

this is my Gilchrist, looks to be made by W&B

LOVE the shave, best shave i can get between DE's, a couple other straights I tried, and my wosty ..

but the shape and the very slim scales make for an odd grip.. combined with the fact that the scales are slightly loose leaving no tension makes it hard to use the scales as well as a grip sometimes..

now this sucker shaves GREAT, its my go to razor and im pretty sure it will be for a WHILE, i dont want to even try anything else until i can sell some things to get my other W&B redone by someone..

but, holding it is odd, and stropping it even worse with the scales (btw NOT looking to redo the scales at all)

its WELL worth it to me... just wondering if anyone else deals with issues like this to use something they love? my worry is one day it will slip out and cut me on the way down or worse the blade might get hurt..

what do you guys think/do?

You know, you could tighten the pins on that beast and that would solve most of your problems... search the forums for a peening tutorial or search on how to tighten pins that came loose. I would, but I'm on my phone and its hard enough to post as is.

I would definitely not suggest a new guy try to tighten washerless ivory. Tap tap tap CRACK. That is something you need to be very very careful with. If you want it tightened, I'd recommend finding a restorer, ask them if they can do it and what the chances of breaking are (it's always possible, even if you have done thousands), and decide if you are willing to risk it.

As for the unusual tang, that's something that takes getting used to. Every time you shave with the razor, it should get a little easier. If you have free time and can give it your full attention, practice handling the razor. Personally, I hate thin tangs; I'm not as comfortable with them, but I have learned to shave with them.

agreed

there is NO WAY im tightening these LOL

Here is what I think nubskillz is refering to. Un-pinning and re-pinning a razor - Straight Razor Place Wiki . First you might just try to reset the hinge pin by laying on a bench vise anvil by "gently" tapping the hinge pin with a ball peen hammer..FYI if the scales are thin there is a good chance they are Ivory. Be careful not to crack your scales. If that does not tighten it up then it may need to be re-pinned. You can do this or you can send it out. That's a beautiful razor. You may need to take it the way it is. Drop me a PM if I can help.
MIke

lol, i dont mind using as is .. and thanks for the compliments.. i really LOVE the shave with it too which is a bonus.. the scales are VERY thin ... like 4 pieces of paper thin! so if im lucky they are ivory

already a small crack on the non-pivot side which isnt too bad and isnt getting worse, so im not lookin to redo these or anything, just use as is

anyone else going through this with a razor thats worth the extra effort?

i really need to sell off some DEs, SEs, and a couple straights im not using to fund getting my other W&B redone and put into some abalone scales..

I knew I read it somewhere! Try this advice in a post from Carrie M Just make sure that you keep the pivot as dry as practicable.

i'd suggest you rethink your position and send the razor to me
in exchange i'll send you any number of razors that will be very easy to hold and strop
i'll take good care of it and even will repin it without cracking the scales...

see at one point i had a very similar one and gave it to somebody who wanted a cool razor to clean up and use since i didn't think i'll do it anytime soon. i've learned my lesson since then...

If the scales are very thin they are most likely Ivory. I wouldn't mess with them they are very brittle and even a light tap if you miss or are off center too much will crack them.

As far as the razor goes you will find all sorts of combinations of characteristics in razors. I think the thin scales are way easier to use than those with very fat scales or razors that are very off balanced or some with long monkey tails and short blades.

Originally Posted by mrbhagwan

I knew I read it somewhere! Try this advice in a post from Carrie M Just make sure that you keep the pivot as dry as practicable.

The dental floss works well. We have a W&B w/ NOP scales backed w/metal. The scales are not flexible at all. After whacking the pin with a hammer and punch for a while, all the while with my heart in my throat I gave up. At one of our meets Quicknicker offered the dental floss suggestion and wrapped the pin between the scales and blade tightly w/ floss. The blade is no longer loose. This isn't a permanent but since I probably will only use the razor once or twice a year it will do.

I wouldn't use the scales to hold onto while shaving even with a tight fit. Sooner or later you'll understand why. Take the time to learn how to grip the blade properly if you plan on using this razor. Enjoy, it's a great looking razor.