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Make your own solid brass washers
I've been making my own solid brass domed washers for a while now. I got the idea from an older thread but have made a few adjustments that work well for me. That thread is http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...-vlad-how.html so while it's been discussed before, there has been some interest in this lately so I thought I'd renew the topic and share some of what I do for making these. I posted some of this in a different thread a few months ago but have made a few improvements since then.
I cut some steel rod and drilled 1/16 inch holes in the center of a few pieces. On a couple I dished out the surface using larger drill bits and made two sizes for the domes. I cut pieces of seamless brass tubing (two sizes) and use a broke off piece of 1/16 drill bit as the post. Then I hammer the two pieces together and it squishes the tubing into the dome shape.
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Then I flatten the bottom on 400 grit sandpaper and the bevel out the top a little to allow for the pin to set flush. I hold it with a small needle nose pliers and use a little bigger drill bit to do this. Doing this part on sandpaper helps the washer to not spin. Attachment 256503Attachment 256504
Now they are ready for sanding and polishing. I set out a progression of sandpaper bits 400 - 2000, some 3.5 diamond lapping paste, a small rag, a slim cone shaped diamond rotary bit for a mandrel, and safety glasses. I used to use a modified roofing nail as the mandrel but the diamond rotary bit is key, it holds the washer and doesn't let it spin, very useful for this next part. I put the washer on the mandrel in the dremel, get it spinning and use the sandpaper to smooth out the surface ending with the diamond polish.
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Here's how they look on some razors I restored...
small domes:
Attachment 256509
large domes:
Attachment 256510
Thanks for looking!