Thread: How do you UN-pin razor scales?

My uncle just recently picked me up an old red imp razor from an antique mall in our area. The blade is is good condition but the scales, unforutanatly, were not so lucky. So, I've decided to make new scales and I was wondering how do I un-pin the red imp scales without completly ruining them?

Thanks,
Kevin

I generally use a round burr in my drill - I have a foot-switch so I can control speed from about 200 rpm to 20,000 and use a flexible drive. Using it right at the low end of the rpm scale, simply grind off the top of the rivet, releasing the collar. The pin will then just push out the other side. WARNING! needs a steady hand and a bit of patience, but its the easiest way i have found. Hope this helps

I was watching this, waiting for an answer. Is there any way to do it without power tools? By the time I get around to the razor that needs her scales removed I'll probably have a Dremel or something of the sort, but is there no "manual" way?

I have used a hack saw and then a file to carefully wear down the peen on pins before I got my dremel. You just have to pay close attention so that you don't muck up the scales if you want to reuse them.

A small flat file will work if yer careful

G'day Mate

Cover the pin with a single layer of masking tape or electrical tape then use a small fine file... like a warding file, mill file or second cut file (i use a mill file) to grind down the peened end of the pin.

After a couple of strokes accross the pin you'll find that the washers (or collars) fall off the pin... this tells you you're getting pretty close to removing the section of pin that was deformed by peening...

Very gently grind for another couple of strokes until the pin looks like it is perfectly round and of orginal diameter then use something like a pop rivet or a short length of 1/16 brass rod as a dolly to gently punch the pin through to the opposite side scale and the blade will come free...

Be extremely careful not to use a dolly that is bigger than the diameter of the hole that is drilled through the scales or you will be trying to expand that hole and will almost certainly split that end of the scale.

The tape should stop you or at least warn you that you're about to rub the file accross the syrface of the scale and leave the tell tale score markes on the scale material...

Hope that is understandable

Greg Frazer

Alright guys good news! I have sucessfully removed the blade from the scales with no damage to the scales! I thank you all for your help and I appriciated all of the pointer very much.

Thanks,
Kevin