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.