Thread: H. Boker razor questions about polishing / repinning

Once again I have a few questions, go figure lol.

Anyways, landed a nice looking Boker with some what I would consider minor issues I would like trying my hand at fixing / restoring it, I do not believe it would take much. Don't worry it was all of about $20, so not out anything really if I botch it. Been doing a lot of reading about how to sand / polish the blade as well as removing pins and such. I should be able to handle that part easily enough. Also the great thread regarding the use of the tumbler to work on the blade as well, very cool idea. A few of the issues are light staining on the blade, water marks, some minor pitting, an edge that will need attention cause it feels like a saw and not like my regular shaver.

So I wanted to ask about with reagrds to sanding the blade, a hollow ground, how much pressure is used when working on it? I would not like to damage something further while working on it.

Secondly, is with regards to the scales, as currently the razor does not sit anywhere close to center. The razor if closed without assistance would hit about halfway down the right ride scale looking from the spine to the edge. Also with them being a synthetic material I doubt filing them would help much and I would not want to alter them unless it was necessary. They do not appear to be cracked that I can tell so they would be salvagable. I am considering removing the razor from the scales to work on it but have concerns about re-pinning it, not having done it before. I had seen that the pins can be made from 1/16 brass rod and I am sure that the local hardware folks have this in their welding area for brazing. Interestingly enough the non-pivot end does not appear to have washers and just has domed pins where the pivot has them.

So as always thoghts an opinions are always appreciated and thanks in advance everyone.

You want to use a bit of pressure. Enough to get the job done without damaging the blade or scratching too deep. Don't worry too much about removing pitting but make sure you get all the rust off. There are a few things that can cause the blade to be off center in the scales. Scales can warp and loose their shape, pins can get bent or sometimes a blade can be a little bent. You have to determine the cause before you can fix it. pinning is not that difficult. Its removing the old pins that can be a little tricky sometimes.

Post some pics of the blade to if you can. That'll make it easier to get you started in the right direction.