Thread: nylon washers

Is anyone use nylon washers between the scales and razor for restores or new razor builds? I have seen some people make their own in copper or brass but wondered if nylon would work as well or better?

Thanks

John

I have tried nylon and personally don't like them. They give too much "slip" and the blade pivots too freely, a lot like a loose pin. Brass (what I use) is a nice middle of the road.

Not to restart the debate about using OEM versus modern materials - but while that may work for some, it seems out of place somehow. If for no other reason, if metal worked for 150 years, why go in another direction since it's for a specific function with no cosmetic value? It may work for you, but seems "off" somehow. No disrespect intended, just providing another viewpoint.

You want to be very careful of the Bearing washers and their intended use. this is one of the most critical areas of the razor.. IMHO the pivot is second only to the edge, this is also proved when you take apart a few older razors. You will find that bad pivot designs tend to yield bad results at the tang..

Brass is by far the most used material inside there, it is not even a close second by a few designs of a raised dais built into the scales, followed by Nothing at all
I very very rarely find other metals and when I do they and the tang are usually in pretty bad shape
I have only ever seen Nylon on a few customs with some type of screw fastener...
If you think about the dynamics of using actual pins with nylon you will realize that peening might become problematic...


Hope that helps a bit

The nylon ones will eventually tear. Not worth the hassle. There's also Nylatron, Teflon, Copper and Bronze washers. I'd stick with brass or SS myself.

Yup even when using stainless washers outside and nickel silver rods I always use brass on the inside...

Brass here,I actually slightly cup mine to create a thrust washer of sorts.
Reason being most all my blades are scaled in ivory,do not want to be tightening pins by peening down the road.

I like the idea of doming the thrust washers some Pixel - seems like a good idea since it reduces contact with the metal and puts most of it on the scales. Seems like it would be helpful anyway.

And for me it's brass for all those washers inside. JMJones, just say no to plastic! ..unless it's tinted transparent and used for scales on a duck.

Originally Posted by AirColorado

I like the idea of doming the thrust washers some Pixel - seems like a good idea since it reduces contact with the metal and puts most of it on the scales. Seems like it would be helpful anyway.

And for me it's brass for all those washers inside. JMJones, just say no to plastic! ..unless it's tinted transparent and used for scales on a duck.

You might give it a try,the washers I use are only .012 thick,when I dome them it is just very slight,I invision them giving a slight spring effect between the tang and the scales,Good bad? who knows.I want my blades to stay open when in a stand drying,they do.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

You might give it a try,the washers I use are only .012 thick,when I dome them it is just very slight,I invision them giving a slight spring effect between the tang and the scales,Good bad? who knows.I want my blades to stay open when in a stand drying,they do.

Nope you are dead right,,, many of the vintage ones I drop on the bench still have a slight dimple/dome in them, many others you can see where it was at many years ago..

As I always say might not be right or wrong but if they have been using it for all these years maybe those old farts that made these things for so many years knew a thing or two

The easy way to do a version of this without a doming/dapping set is to realize that most washers have a flat side vs a domed side (put a pile of them on the table and it becomes very apparent) at the least you can put the flat side against the scales and the domed side against the tang


Great point Bill