Thread: Re-pinning

The situation:

One razor has a nice blade, but has your run of the mill, boring black scales.

The other razor has a large chip out of the blade, but the scales are bakelite, with those decorative steel end pieces we've all seen, I'm sure.

I'm looking to match the nice blade with the nice scales, but I have no idea how to do it. Can it be done? What tools do I need?

Yes just throwing in a link as an answer can be irritating to others and often seem quite trite but...

http://www.billysblades.com/Straight%20Razor%20Book.htm

Are you saying you're going to purchase that for me or something?

I just want a quick answer from someone who has done this before, not a link to a site where I'd have to spend money. Am I going to need new pins, or can the old ones be re-used? What tools will I require? Questions like these.

Using the search function would also be a good idea.. There are several threads on this topic out there.

You WILL need new pins, possibly washers and you may also need a SMALL ballpeen hammer and a surface suitable for hammering on, a drill and a bit suitable for the pins, small engraving burr, cupped nail punch... the list goes on.

I posted that link because the CD contains all the info you requested as well as how-to vids.

EDIT: beaten to it

Originally Posted by Blade Wielder

...I just want a quick answer from someone who has done this before, not a link to a site where I'd have to spend money. Am I going to need new pins, or can the old ones be re-used? What tools will I require? Questions like these.

..or, you could just follow along on Josh's restoration and do whatever he does.

(...kind of a....'monkey see - monkey do' kind of a thing....)

-whatever

-Lou

I too, am also starting MY first restoration project, (Pix appearing soon...)...

I also have a few carcasses of rusted out, chipped, beat up old razors that I can use for parts as well, BUT I STILL NEED new pins, washers, collars, spacers, scales, etc...

Who, what, where, can I go to get NEW parts?

I actually bought the Bill Ellis CD, but I'd really appreciate some more specific direction and recomendations from members of this forum please...

Thanks in advance,

Tony

Originally Posted by Lancer

You WILL need new pins, possibly washers and you may also need a SMALL ballpeen hammer and a surface suitable for hammering on, a drill and a bit suitable for the pins, small engraving burr, cupped nail punch... the list goes on.

I posted that link because the CD contains all the info you requested as well as how-to vids.

EDIT: beaten to it

I spent time looking for readymade parts. I found nothing but Classic Shaving. I was not happy with the canned like results from using them. I bought BEs CD and learned from it how to make my own pins and much more. Making your own pins gives you the most control when centering a blade.

I took what I learned and applied it and changed it to fit my own personal restoration and repaire goals.

For me there is no greater reward than taking the good horn scales off a WB without breaking them, doing the needed blade & scale work, and putting them back on with my own pins.

I have done it both ways, and am glad I never found an answer to this question you ask. There may not be one.

Hmmmm, interesting comments, I totallty agree...

I'll check out Bill Ellis' CD tonight when I get home. I don't know if this method is on Bill Ellis' CD, but here's a variation on the classic blacksmith's brad/nail swaging/forming die, which is the first thing you make in any high-school machine shop, could make these pins very nicely....I think I did this over 40 years ago... All you really need is a fairly decent drill press and a few scraps of 1/4" mild steel....

1.) Get two 2" x 4" pieces of 1/4" mild steel.

2.) Locate, drill, and, fabricate, & install 4 1/4" locator pins on the the corners of the bottom piece.

3.) Locate, and drill through 4 1/4" holes to match the locator pins in the bottom pice to the holes in top pice so that you have a nice matching die.

4.) Making sure that the assembled die is firmly clamped closed. Drill 10-20 holes of the various sizes of brass rod that you use, all the way through the top pice, and half way through the bottom. You may even want to bevel counter-sink some of the holes for a slightly counter-sunk pin...

6.) To make pins, insert cut lengths of rod all the way into the holes of the assembled clamped die, and trim off 1/16"-1/32" above the top surface of the die.

7.) With a light jewelers, peening, tack hammer and a peening tool or a concave setting punch or similar tool, lighty begin to swage down on the head of the brass rod with light taps... The head of the rod will begin to mushroom into a nice round rivet head...

8.) To remove the pins simply unclamp the die and lift off the top plate...and gently press down the top plate on a smooth uindrilled hard surface like an undrilled piece or 2 x 4 steel...

9.) The pins may stick, so you may have to VERY lightly tap the underside of the top plate... Lubricating the tool and the brass rod with WD-40 BEFOREHAND will probably make things a lot easier...

10.) In another life, I had the dream machine shop, and I could have whipped this tool up in the time it took for me to post this article...

11.) I'm curerently without a machine shop or any HEAVY tools other than some hand tools and a dremel tool. If anyone on this forum decides to make this tool, I would be imost grateful if we could work something out re: my getting a steady supply of pins....

All the best,

Tony