Thread: Best procedure to 're-round' the pivot hole using brass sleeve insert?

Ok, so Im working on a second razor to do a minor restore on. I got it off ebay, and i think the seller just buffed out the blade without taking the scales off, so half of the work has been done for me
But anyways, i need to 're-round' the pivot hole, and I think Im set on using a brass sleeve insert (unless one of you guys can convince otherwise ), but my question is how do I ensure that the sleeve will sit in there straight?
My current plan is to drill just a tiny bit of metal out (making the hole 1/4 inch, as it is almost there already) and then just throw the insert in. Im just not sure how i can guarantee ill drill straight due to the awkward shape of how the original pin wore into the shank.
Here are some pictures:




Thanks for all the help!

It is shaped like that as it was done with a punch press, not at all uncommon.
You may well be able to tap brass tube in place and flare the ends like a rivet and "fix" it with very little work,
without dimensioning the holes I cannot say for certain.
There are numerous threads with methods that are time proven, unless it is really big and causes issues I generally pin it and go.

1/4 drill bit? You (and your bit), might regret that! Here is what I generally do, if I do it at all. I pop a 1/8 aluminum pop rivet in the hole and tap out the mandrel, which is 1/16. Dermel drum sand the head and excess off. You then have a tight-fitting aluminum bushing with a 1/16 hole. The soft aluminum rivet conforms to the odd-shaped hole in the tang and is easily filed internally if it is not perfectly straight.

That is an older sheffield. I can almost guarantee the tang is not hardened. A 1/8 HSS or cobalt drill should go through that hole with very little problem. Just make very sure that you have something in place to prevent the blade from spinning like a propellor.

Originally Posted by Bruno

Just make very sure that you have something in place to prevent the blade from spinning like a propellor.

I know to hold things in place to prevent spinning, but it has never occurred to me till this very moment the consequences of failing to do so when drilling a razor. Thank you for a frightening image that will ensure my safety! Even so I'll drill it on front side so if it does go, its the spine that is leading if its starts spinning

You can actually do a very accurate job with a fine round needle file.

If you are going to bore that hole to bush it tight all the way through, be sure to account for any taper in the tang. If not, it is not going to swing on plane with the blade and you will have issues with hitting the scales or the blade will be cocked in relation to the scales.

Most of those punched holes are tapered. I just drill them to the size of the smallest tubing that won't fit through. That mean that when bushed, the blade pivots cleanly on the center of the hole without movement "fore and aft" but is still able to "rock" on the pin (because the bushing only contacts the minor diameter of the hole) to account for the hole being a few degrees off of perpendicular to the plane of the blade.

I hope you understand my explanation...

I have NEVER drilled a tang...

I have 3 sizes of brass tubing I check the smallest first then add as needed,,, The bushing does not need to be tight in fact you might find as has been hinted at already you might be very sorry if you make it a tight fit

If my smallest size of brass tubing 1/16 ID x 1/8 OD doesn't fit in the hole easily, then it doesn't need a bushing....

To be honest the only reason we ever started putting bushings in there, is that we started to build custom scales to a tighter tolerance between the Wedge and the Razor and having the razor shift was not an option


Just another viewpoint and a small bit of experience

Fitting tubing and or solid rod is as above.

If the tubing deforms or you use solid rod to plug the hole, then consider using a few thousandths undersized drill bit for the pin and an exact size reamer to finish a perfectly round hole for the pivot pin. Most drill bits produce a triangular hole that might bind on rotation.

Example: 1/8 drill = 0.125, drill 0.120 and ream to 0.125. If you hole is perpendicular the pivot should track straight down the middle of the scale like you want. More work but my OCD is particularly active today.

Alright so I considered all of your advice and decided to drill anyways. I think if the situation was different, I would not have drilled the tang. Here is why: The amount of metal I ended up needing to remove was so insignificant, but now i can fit the next size of tubing with virtually no play (which this razor obviously had a considerable amount of, and the edge of the blade kept hitting the scales): Here are some pictures to show:



Also I would like to say that in my original post I said that i was going to drill to 1/4 inch, and if you have not inferred already I meant 1/8 inch