In the most cases it is in my opinion not necessary to work with a wedge buttspacer. Because I have some problems to explain this right I have made the follow draft:
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Number 1 is, what are all speaking about. You have an wider pivot than the spacer. Here you will have stress to the end of the scales. How much depends, how great is the difference between the pivot an the wedge thicknes. A 8/8 Friodur hast 6 mm at the Pivot and because of the full hollow ground blade a 2 mm spacer could be enough. This is to much difference. If you use a 4 mm spacer and a third pin, that impeded that the blade go threw the scales, there is no problem.
Number 2 Here we can see the right use of a flat spacer. The difference between pivot and spacer thickness is similar. There you dont have stresslines in the wood. 1 - 2 mm difference are not a problem, because wood is an elastic material and the length of the scales are 6 inch. Also if you got some little stress, because of the tappered pivot, if you open or close the razor, this will not be importand. The most time the razor is closed. The rest time of 5% (stroping, honing etc.), when the razor is open, the wood handle can easily manage this little presure.
Number 3 Often seen. The wedge is to great and the scales open to much at the pivot. When you now close them to pin the blade you will get often cracks between the scales and the wedge. It is nearly impossilbe to pin the wedge hard enought to avoid this, because of the great lever when you close the scales.
Number 4 Same problem like Nr. 3. Now you have permanent stress of the scales at the sides. With plastic as an homogen artifice material is this not a big thing. But wood work with the time and is not so homogen at al the parts. I seen some razors, where one side of the scales warped and the other stayed straight because of that. The effect of this is, that the razor no close centered.
If you want to use an wedge spacer, do it right. To avoid stress to the scales it is absolutely necessary to assemble the angle of the wedge very good to the used blade. If you do this only with your feeling and aesthetic aspects, you will often get more problems, than with a flat spacer. In the most cases a flat spacer will do the job as well, but it is much easier to handle.
My2cent :)
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