Thread: Washers

So, after my first forays into pinning, I am curious about washers.

The question is, every time I have unpinned a vintage razor, the washers have been small cup washers. However, I note that in all the tutorials I have seen (eg https://shavelibrary.com/w/Un-pinnin...inning_a_razor) and all the various places I have seen where you can buy razor 'pinning kits', that the washers used are flat washers.

So, why the change from cup washers to flat washers? I have looked and looked for cup washers of that size, and have not found any yet. Is this the reason, availability?

When you buy washers they are flat. You have to make them into domes yourself. There are several ways to do this. If you type in "making domed washers" in the search box in the upper right corner you will find posts on doing this. As an example https://sharprazorpalace.com/worksho...s-dummies.html . Not very difficult to do really.

Bob

Buy a Dapping block and Doming punch, dome your own. You can buy a set about $20 or make one with a bearing and block of wood.

Dimple the wood with a bearing, then place the washer in the divot and strike the bearing. You can control the amount of dome and make exact replicas of originals.

Here is the way I do it. Post 5 (Dapping Doming).

Perhaps this link will be of some help:

https://www.amazon.de/Doming-Set-Juw...2C315&sr=8-119

Y can buy a complete set, at Harbor Freight.



And if u want to buy replicated collars, this is your man.

The OP is in Germany--I don't find any Harbor Freights there. I also don't think that they ship overseas but even if they did the shipping would kill any deal.

Your spot on with Austin's quality products.

Thanks for the answers gentlemen!

I had noted that washers could be domed with the sets you guys mention. However, a domed washer is not a cup washer.

The question was really about the relative merits of cup washers and flat washers.

When looking for washers, I could only find flat washers. I have looked pretty hard for suitable cup washers, and the only option seemed to be getting them made to order, until you pointed me in the direction of Mr Kennedy. I browsed a few of his listings, and I think I have got my answer: "... These are small, rounded shoulder cup washers that are as close to factory originals as you will find. These are not the flat, or domed from flat, washers that most restorationists use today...." (https://www.ebay.com/itm/12-factory-...MAAOSwMNxXVEbo). I guess Mr Kennedy gets his fabricated to order.

A possible solution is turning a set of dies, to stamp out a cup washer from a flat washer. This is the direction my research is going in.

But, this still doesn't deal with the relative merits of flat and cup washers. Is it just aesthetics?

Aesthetics! You got your own answer. In there use flat or domed/cupped do the same thing. Just keep in mind that if you do make your own with a punch or dapping block of some kind, you need smaller washers too to put inside the cupped washers. They work as a filler to the cup to keep them from miss shaping while peening.
I do t remember who he is but there is a guy on eBay that also sells solid cupped or stepped washers for razors. They look and work great. But keep in mind that they wont form to a curved scales they need to be used on flat scales.

Keep us posted on how it goes for ya

Originally Posted by Montgomery

The question was really about the relative merits of cup washers and flat washers.

This is just a guess. If you use a flat washer when you do your pinning that still puts most of the pressure on the edges of the hole in the scales. I believe domed washers would transfer more pressure away from the edges of the hole leading to less likelihood of cracks radiating out from the hole edges from too much pressure. Besides the domed ones are more aesthetically pleasing.

Bob

Mr. Kennedy makes his collars himself.

Domed or flat, its just Aesthetics. I've done both.