Thread: Removing MOP tang

Has anyone tried to remove a mother of pearl tang cover? There is some really nasty stuff right along the space where the MOP and the tang meet that I would like to get to. Ideally I would like to take the MOP off the tang so I don't run the chance of ruining one while working on the other! The pins on this particular razor don't looked peened in any fashion, so maybe they are glued in. I'd like to save myself the embarrassment of drilling the pins out only to find the MOP is glued onto the tang. Any thoughts?

I've heard Cape Cod polishing cloth is the way to go on MOP...any large chain stores carry it?

Thanks,
Robert

Ace hardware carries Cape Cod Cloths.

Every MOP covered tang I've seen personally or in pictures have pins that are as you've described; no washers and the pins do not appear to be flared or peened.

Drilling out the pins using a drill press and the appropriate ultra thin bit would not frighten me that much. BTW, I LOVE my table top drill press for drilling pins out of scales.

But wow, re-pinning them? I think you'd have to be a jeweler or something. Even if you glued them in, would you clean up the excess glue with solvent? Would that damage the MOP? Would you sand any excess glue off and what would that do to the MOP?

I'm sure it's something that can be done, but I think it' one of those things that could be a whole can of worms. Let us know what you decide to do.

Chris L

Can't speak on what you should do, but I've seen Denmason REPLACE the tang cover on a razor with wood to match the custom scales. Might ask him about his experience there.

I'm resurrecting this thread primarily because I have a few dozen covered tang razors and need to replace a bit of MOP on them (some cracked, some worn, some too discolored for the new scales). I also like the idea of replacing the existing celluoid on a few of the tangs with some G10 or other materials to match some scales I currently have in the "R&D" process.

So how are those MOP, ivory, celluoid and other materials actually attached to the tangs? I'll experiment but may be able to save some ivory and MOP if someone's been successful at it already. They all look like they're simply glued but that doesn't explain the "unpeened" pins in 2 or 3 places on all the tangs.

Finally, I'm thinking about new covering of the tangs on a few blades as well. Looking at what I have now, it appears as simple as grinding down the thickness of the tangs on both sides and then putting on the materials... of course there's the matter of drilling for pins that may or may not have a function. Anyone get past that little hurdle yet or am I to be the guinea pig on that one?

I've searched around a bit for some answers but didn't find anything (I still have a few more threads to go through so this may be a bit premature).

Mike

The pins are not 'un-peened'. The holes in the mop are slightly larger than the pins, and most likely flared a little (wider at the face side than on the side up agaist the tang). This allows the pin to expand a bit during peening.

It is a very tricky job to get right. You slightly peen one side of the pins, put them through the mop and tail, slip on the second mop panel, cut the pins to length (a little proud of the mop) anb gently peen the pins over the other mop panel.

The mop is ultra brittle and liable to crack, so it is best to anneal the pins again after flaring one end to ensure the brass is soft.

You stop when the panels are sufficiently tight, then file the ends of the pins flush and polish the whole lot up. The friction of the pins in the flared holes in the mop keep the mop in place.

The ones I have taken apart appear not to have been glued, or the glue has broken down over the years. Once you have cleanecd the tang - it will be corroded, I have found it best to use some sort of epoxy, putting eveything back together temorarily including the pins and taping it up. That stops everything flapping about, fills gaps (watch the colour of the adhesive) and hopefully stops future water ingress. It also makes it difficult to remove the mop panel you have just cracked and chipped.

Wood is very tricky too. Unless it is very close grained it tends to split both when you are shaping that tiny tang/tail, and close grained or not it tends to split during pinning - there just isnt enough meat behind it, especially around the pivot hole.

For these reasons a non-brittle plastic would be my choice. Either that or the one-piece tang covering you sometimes see on old ivory scaled razors where the blade tang is ground thin and the curved tail ground off, the stub then being fitted into a slot cut in the ivory tang/tail piece. Takes a bit of precise measuring, though!

Regards,
Neil

http://straightrazorpalace.com/custo...t-acrylic.html


That has some before pics you can get an idea of what my friend Neil is describing to you

I have quite a few more on here..

Thanks Neil and Glen! That puts me a few days (and a few frustrations) ahead of the game. Glen that was a really nice restoration using the blue in those photos.

Mike

Neil's statement of brittle doesn't quite cover it. My Boker pearl tang was just beginning to chip by the time I finished. I do wish I had epoxyed under pearl for peace of mind. Good luck. Enjoy.