Thread: Robeson rescale

I purchased this razor so I could reuse the scales.
The blade has a lot of tarnish could it be cell rot. Will litmus paper between the scales detect cell rot?
The pivot pins appear to be nickel silver. Where can I buy this material.(found on ebay) If you enlarge the last photo you will see that the pins are domed. How can I get the old pin out without damaging the bolster?
What advice can you offer? I have rescaled other razors, without bolsters. I have a dremel in a press that I can use or I can drill by hand.

To remove pins i hit the top with a file to flatten it then with a drill press and a 5/64 drill bit i drill the top off the pin. Slow amd steady!

The pin head looks sunken .. Ideally you would need a drill press . Unless there is space inside the scales for a jewelers saw..

Originally Posted by JOB15

The pin head looks sunken .. Ideally you would need a drill press . Unless there is space inside the scales for a jewelers saw..

The very top of the pin is slightly above the top of the bolster. There is a portion of the dome that is recessed.

As said with a sharp fine file, cut a flat spot. Punch with a small sharp center punch. I filed and hardened a small screwdriver for this, it makes a small precise divot.

Chuck a center drill in your press, I think a small one will fit in a Dremel, if not the Dremel chuck attachment will work. Make the center punch divot into a larger clean hole. A single flute center drill will cut an even hole without wandering. You can buy a set of assorted sizes for under $10, or a couple bucks each, worth every penny.

If you try to drill with a 1/16 in bit it will wander and slip off, unless you use a good, new bit and go very slow, (speed and pressure). Even then go slow, (did I say go slow?) and burry the bit in the chuck with as little of the bit exposed, so it is less likely to bend. Once you have a good clean centered hole, then drill with a new 1/16 in drill.

Robeson’s are pinned with a high dome and waterless, the domed pin is hard, probably work hardened, by spinning the pin head. Robeson used the same collarless high domed pin head on their pocketknives, that were spun domed. You might be able to drill with a pin vise, though I have never tried.

You can make a mask from a soda can, punch a hole the size of the pin head and tape it tight to the scale, incase you slip. It is good insurance but drilling slow with lite pressure and sharp bits is key.

To re-pin and replicate the domed pin, leave your pin long, and use a lot of small taps, you can form the high dome by using a couple of good nail sets that the cup has been polished. I polished a set with a bamboo skewer with a domed tip and loaded with a variety of diamond and polishing paste in a Dremel. Adjust your pin head size by filing and reshaping with a lite ball peen hammer, 2-4 oz, and shape with the nail set.

There is a great 3-part, video tutorial by Nick Wheeler, Wheeler knives, who uses this technique on his knife handles. His videos are worth watching.

I buy pinning rod from Texas knife.

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Custom Knife Making, domed pins with Nick Wheeler part 1

)

Thank guys for the information. I have a set of center drills coming. I will be practicing doming technique.

Finally got a picture taken.

I was unable to drill the pin out with my dremel in a press. So I used a file to flatten the dome then a pin vice to drill the pin out. When put in the new pin I used a 1 inch #8 machine screw to produce the dome, rather than tap directly on the pin. It produced a nice dome. If you use a screw be sure to file the burr of the bottom of the screw. It is not perfect but it looks good to me.

Looks like a winner to me.