wedge making.....whats the approximate angle for a wedge?

wedge making.....whats the approximate angle for a wedge? i want to make a thin 1mm to 2mm wedge that is 12mm long. before i break out the "trig" functions on my old HP48GX calculator.

thanks

TONY

Get it as close as you can to the angles of the tang at the pivot point.

There is not a wedge for every razor. The fat end needs to match with the place on the near the point where you want it to rest on the scales. As Dave said the taper needs to math with the tang. I always just guess basically. Fit it together with test screws and make sure it functions correctly. The tension should be even on the blade all the way through the rotation. The scales should be flexible enough to flex and keep that tension. Too much taper and the blade will want to rise up out of the scales when closed. Not enough taper and the blade will be loose in the full open position.

Ideally you want the shape of the scales to be evenly tapered, looking straight down on the scales with the razor in place. Similar to a canoe so the wedge matches the taper of the tang and the scales are in even tension from both ends.

The exact angle is not critical, you can measure the angle of the tang with an angle gage or just trace the taper on a piece of paper and measure the angle with an angle gage, extending the angle rays, if needed. You can measure the angle with an angle gage on the tang but can be difficult, because the tail is not always tapered.

But as said, you are limited to the width of the wedge, because the thickest part of the wedge determines where the blade will rest in the scale when closed.

So first set the blade on the scale and decide how deep you want the razor to sit in the scales, so the edge does not poke out the bottom or sit too high in the scales. Mark the top of the scale on the blade at that point and measure the thickness of the blade at that point. That will be the thickest part of the wedge.

The thinnest part will be what ever the tang taper is at that length and approximate the angle of the tang. So, if you measure your tang tracing to the same thickness of the thick part of the wedge, then measure the wedge width needed (1/8 inch past the pin hole) that is the dimension, (width and angle) your wedge should be. Trim your wedge to rough shape, but long and trim to final dimension and shape after pinned tight. This will also give you a tight fit to the scales.

Pin the wedge first, place a rubber eraser between the scales so the wedge is in the proper orientation, (pin through the hole and wedge) and tape the eraser in place with masking tape, then pin the wedge.

It sounds more complicated than it is, just remember the thick side of the wedge is your limiting factor, so work from that. Working from a tang tracing and using a pair of calipers is easiest.

You can buy inexpensive plastic calipers that come in very handy for measuring all kind of things, General makes a nice pair that sell for about $6. I keep a pair in both cars for measuring bolts and screws when going to the hardware store.

Yep. As they said. Marty said it in long form and Dave said it in short form. That about covers it. I too thought there was a lot more to it when i started. But its not that critical just dont make a spacer instead of a wedge.

Ive found that if you mock up your scales and wedge without a blade, the spacing at the pivot of he two scales should be 1/2 to 3/4 inches. That seems to work well.