Thread: Share your tricks to centering a blade in scales.

Thanks Tom. I couldnt get the pics to work the first time you put them up.

Marty, i normally shape my scales with them together. But thats just a basic shaping. Rounding corners and such. I then make my wedge. I leave it a big long and wide. Bolt scales to wedge and drop the blade in to be sure it fits like i want. Then take blade out and sand wedge end of scales and wedge so it fits perfectly.

Take it all apart and sand the scales to the point of a finish coat of whatever im going to put on them. Coat them with many coats (this takes me a week) then bolt the wedge, blade and scales together for a final check. At this point if i bolted them togehter and made last minute adjustments to get blade to center, than the scales and wedge wouldnt sit as nice as there were in the beginning becuase ive moved them from there intended possition.

So the point im making is to get the basic shaping done, make a wedge, test fit with a blade to check wedge thickness, bolt it all togehter and check alignment. Then sand wedge end and wedge in that possition. At that point remove wedge and continue sanding and finish coatings. Then bolt it together again, check to be sure all is right as it should still be and pin.

If after the final coating was done i then sanded a bit because things needed adjusted for blade centering, then id be spending another few days fixing the wedge, scales and final coatings on both.

Hope this make sense now. Sometime i get carried away with the details and they still look bad. Or after checking it centers right but after all the rest of the work it goes whacko for some reason. Lol.

Jerry, I see what you are saying if you are applying a film finish on scales. I do not apply film finish. I do mostly Horn, Antler, Bone, Micarta or Polyester and Acrylic and buff the finish. So, it is not a big problem to refinish the edges of the wedge. If I do wood it is a hard wood, buffed finish, not film. I am a big fan of horn.

I sand and file with a (small, sharp 6 in metal file), the wedge and scales after the whole razor is pinned tight, I file the wedge flush and a little on the scales to get a tight fit and the shape needed, getting the scales to meet if length is adjusted, (but not usually too much length) and that the ends are flat where the scales meet the wedge at the edge.

If you were doing a film finish, I would think you could just dab the edges with CA, hit it with Accelerator, sand and polish. I have done that with other wood projects or for repairs. Finish sand to 1k and buff. CA is quick and tough, and you can build it up to fill gaps and low spots or for a thicker finish. With accelerator you can build it quickly.

Geezer made a good analogy about holding a credit card between you thumb and forefinger, then move you fingers back and forth, just a bit. Notice how much it moves the end of the card and in which direction. The slightest movement move the tip of the card a 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch. So, it does not take much movement to change the alignment and it is almost impossible to fit it, take it apart, then put it back together and get it back exactly where you fit it.

Lock it all down then trim and finish.

Yes, we were talking about different finishes and i see what your saying. With the horn and such it would be a different story all together. Also, i agree that with the adjusting of the wedge wnd and the shifting of the scales it would be a very slight amount. But sometimes being off a touch can be too much for some folks. Ive still hot a few of my first attemps at aligning/centering a blade. If i get a chance and think about it i will post a couple. Its not pretty but 8t got the job done. I will need to do them again some day.

One other thing that does not get talked about much is the collars. I believe that domed or hollow collars, like “Stacked Sheffield’s” have a spring tension, that is easier to adjust and keep even pressure on the pivot pin and even the wedge, as a razor is opened and closed the scales flexed, in & out, up & down and back and forward. Vintage razors rarely have glued wedges, the whole design was probably intended to move with the opening and closing of a blade.

Large domed collars were common in pre-1900 razors, it may have been more than an aesthetic consideration.Combined with a looser fit, makes adjusting tension and alignment easier, perhaps why pivot pin holes were often punched.

Strange things we miss sometimes are at fault.

I have a very early Torrey I rescaled in picbone. It would close center 15 times and then veer off.
Bent pin? Nope? Tried everything. Made NO sense!
I finally revisited it a few years later and discovered by wear on the pin that the pivot-hole had been punched at a strange angle.
As the blade moved around on the pin, it would begin to bind and go to the side.

I ran a reamer through it, popped an aluminum rivet in and peened the aluminum mandrel into the middle.
I then drilled it straight through the aluminum plug and fixed it.

Who knew?

Nice way to fill and drill a wonky pivot hole, Tom. I've seen some that look like they were punched from both sides. And the punches never seem to line up right. But close enough for a pin. I found some brass tubing with a 1/16" hole and I've used it as a bushing. Still not a solid fit but much better than nothing.

Marty, you might have a point. I've used both solid and cupped collars. I liked the cupped ones better but I hadn't thought about them playing a part in tension. I like my blade tight! Not just enough to hold open. This has caused me issues before.

Here are a couple of things I've found.

First, use a drill press to drill the pinning holes while they are still flat - before rounding the scales. The drill press needn't be fancy - I use a Dremel press. If the holes aren't straight it will cause problems every time.

Next, after drilling tape or hold the scales together. Use a piece of pin that is roughly 3 inches and put it through the holes. It should balance perfectly straight at all angles. I also put the pin through the holes and hold it up to ensure that both ends match exactly. If they don't match at this point and you pin it with them even, it will push the blade in one direction or the other.