Thread: Drilling out pins

Some time ago Glen asked for contributions to razor restoration. So tonight while squeezing in this piece I figured I'd contribute this. I'm sure it's been done a million times but here is how I drill out pins for what it's worth.

This Schwan Barber Supply Co. Aristocrat just came in today. It's mine. Basically in nice shape but the scales had to come off to do a proper restoration. Now you can simply file off the pins/washers but if you want to work on a blade, or keep the washers, or just not be bothered with the possibility of cracking a nice set of scales then drilling is the way to go I think. I like these scales and I wanted to preserve them and not booger them up. Yeah, you can make new scales, take off the bolsters and swap them. But it's not the same as having the originals with the bolsters inlaid in the scales. And I love fancy bolsters.
The first step that I do is to simply file the existing peened pin flat. Don't try drilling into a curved surface. The bit will squirrel all over the place and make a mess.
Once the pin has been filed flat you need some way to center the drill bit. What you need is a small divot for the drill bit to center on and not scoot all over the place.
For this I use a very small ball cutter in my version of a Dremel. It is very tiny and you really don't need one this small. For reference I have it against my finger and I could almost clean out my fingerprint with it.
But it does a good job. I have larger ones that do the job just as effectively. Also , a small stone will work just as well.

I'm showing both ends, but I did all four pins using this method.

Now once I've made the small divot for a drill bit to center on I head to the drill press.
When you chuck a 1/16th bit in the drill press don't leave much of the bit sticking out. If you leave any length of the bit sticking out it will want to flex, wander and shoot all over the place. Bury it deep so just maybe a half inch sticks out. This keeps it nice and rigid.
I'm almost ready to drill but first I put a large wood block on the table of the drill press. Being that a razor isn't flat I don't want to just lay it on the flat surface. I position the block so I can just catch the opposite pin/washer on the lip of the block. Why you may ask?
Well this way , if my centering divot isn't exact, or the bit does wander and a razor will not lay flat, I can roll the razor side to side, or tilt it front to back to get the drill bit to go where I want it to.

In these shots I'm again using my finger for reference as to how deep I set the drill bit.
In the next shots you can see how I can rock the razor should the bit wander off course and I can compensate for that and get it to go in another direction by rocking , tilting or rolling the razor to keep the bit drilling as closely down the center of the pin as I can get it.

Now at this point things should be going well. Be sure to use a bit that is sharp .
Also. If you're doing a set of plastic scales be sure to not let heat build up. Sharp bits cut cooler and require less pressure to drill. Pressure and a bit just spinning in the pocket just builds heat. And what happens if it's just a pin/washer set up on plain scales? You will melt them real quick.
Drill a bit then switch to the other end. Or just dip it in some water to keep things cool.
If you're drilling accurately you should be able to drill right through the center of the washers and straight down the pin.

The first two shots show I'm centered in the washer and drilling just the pin.
The last two shots show the washer just came right off ( actually they run up the drill bit) and it's just the pin left to drill.
You could stop here and your chances are very good at removing the scales as there is very little "flare" to the pin to keep the scales in place. Once the old peen is removed and the washers fall off , with care , the scales can be removed.

But I took it a bit further as you will see.

If you decide to push it further as I do here be forewarned! Now is the time the bit has the greatest chance of slipping out of it's little pocket that is in the end of the pin. If you're the least bit off and you're pressing the bit to go deeper the chances are good that it will slip off the end of the pin , drill along side it , and now you have an extra hole where you didn't want one. That's a mess.
The only reason I went further is the bolster was acting like a washer and keeping the scales tightly together. I needed to drill deeper than the surface of the bolster.
But either that, stupidity or over confidence kept me going as I saw I had a very good center. Lets face it. You're using a 1/16 bit to drill straight down on a pin that is the same size. A nice trick. But the other thing to consider is most pins aren't ramrod straight. They're bent and if you try to drill all the way, the chances are good that the bit will go off course and damage the scales.
I was able to drill over half way through the thickness of the scales and this allowed the scales to just fall off without any effort or prying to get them loose. I guess I got lucky.
But there is no real good reason to go this far. The goal is to remove what was left of the old peening job and get the scales off without any undue risk to them

For these shots in the bottom of the hole you can see the pin.
Once I got the scales off, and what was left of the pins I popped one back in each hole to hold it to show how centered I was. One was ever so slightly off but that amount of metal won't give much fight to keep a scale in place.

I completed the razor tonight and here is how the new pins and old washer ended up looking.
Aren't those bolsters just the bomb? And the entire razor, blued shaft, polished scales /blade is just so good looking.

Great tutorial, any chance you'd do one about unpinning collarless ivory scales?

Originally Posted by Baxxer

Great tutorial, any chance you'd do one about unpinning collarless ivory scales?

And how to tighten such pins without cracking the ivory....

The pin vice idea. How do you initiate the start of the hole. A smaller than pin sized bit or one the same size?? I've tried but the bit keeps sliding off and scratching the scales.(;-(

Originally Posted by Johnus

The pin vice idea. How do you initiate the start of the hole. A smaller than pin sized bit or one the same size?? I've tried but the bit keeps sliding off and scratching the scales.(;-(

The smallest bit you have,I go much smaller the 1/16,trust your eye, the eye always centers.

Indeed, a good tutorial . I use pretty much the same method. I have found it is good to either file or dremel-drum the pin flat, if possible, so that the bit bites and does not slip off. Also, I use split-point cobalt bits. The tiny 'extra' drill at the tip makes it easy to just start drilling without any center divot needed. I bring the razor up to the bit and wobble the razor to get the bit to the middle. It is nice as one can go right thru the middle of the pin and wobble the razor to eat the flare out.
Good to share about saving the collars as we can. Sometimes they cannot all be saved, but having spares will help to keep it original looking!

One other that I find helpfull, (Esp with Ivory) Duct tape or two layers of masking tape with a hole punched into it.
Will help with any slipping issues getting the pin out,also gives a sort of cushion when repinning and helps protect the scales while sanding.
Many ways to do this stuff,great tutorial above.