Thread: tail off centre

Hello,
I have just purchased my first straight razor and have had it for a few days now and shaved with it twice and have just noticed the monkey tail is off center when the blade is open in alignment with the scales so it binds on the side of the scales slightly and leaving slight marks on the polished tail.
Is this normal for a razor to do this and therefore acceptable tolerances?
Thanks.

Is the razor new or old. I would say it's not acceptable in a new razor, but in an old one, well, you decide if it's acceptable to you.

Some things I am assuming even from the very limited pic...

This is a restored blade???

This is a Sheffield razor???

i looks simply bent to me...

When you close it is the point centering within the scales ? If it is the tang may be slightly bent. If not it could have been pinned in such a way that it skews the blade within the scales. Whatever you do I wouldn't try to bend the tail. You may be able to adjust it by tapping the pins but you'd have to know what you're doing.

It looks crooked in the scales to me FWIW

I have seen it quite a bit in the older razors. It's a total pain in the tail to get one of those to center in scales I promise you... As long as the blade closes on center I wouldn't worry about it.

It looks to have a straight blade, but as mentioned, is crooked in the scales. Put a straight edge across the center of the pins, as you have it pictured. If the straight edge line is straight, the pin is probably bent in an "s" shape and not visible until unpinned. If the straight edge is leaning with the blade, then the pin holes were not drilled straight. Is the pivot tight? The scales seem to be of wood,ie customs. Might be a chore to fix. Without seeing it in person, I would say if you bought it from a reputable seller, contact him and ask if he would correct/rescale it. Nothing wrong with that! Otherwise, there are some fine guys here who can help!

Originally Posted by Havachat45

It looks crooked in the scales to me FWIW

I D/L'd the pic and by running a straight line through the spine and center of the opening in the scales, it appears that the blade is, in fact, crooked in the scales, AND the tail is bent

It is not uncommon for tails to be untrue as a result of the way they were ground. I believe if it was straight in the scales, it would be a non-issue.