Thread: Razor not straight in scales

Just got a Kinfolks that doesn't close centered. The toe catches one of the scales. The scales are rather thin celluloid or plastic and appear to be straight. I suspect the pivot pin may be bent?

I thought I remembered some thread about trying to coax a razor back to center without de-pinning it but couldn't find it. I don't really have the skills, tools, and materials to try repinning it so I thought I'd try this first before sending it to someone if it doesn't work. Can anyone point me to that or make suggestions?

I have a few ducks like that. I just have to be careful with them. It's really annoying. If you find an answer, please let me know, give me a pm. My razor restoration skills are also limited. I can hone the heck out of them though, I'll try to check this post again, thanks....Rich

If it is loose in the pivot ..... or if it isn't you could tap it on the side opposite where it is hitting and that will sometimes straighten it out.

Edit; I mean tap it @ the rivet..... lightly.

Not loose in the pivot. I was told by a restorer that ducks are problematic that way. Is that true?

Yea... I think that was the suggested solution to try first. It is actually pretty tight so maybe that's how it got that way to begin with. I'll give that a try with some very gentle taps. If it gets much tighter I'll have a different problem...

One thing I have done is to note which side I need to hit and then open the blade to where it is fully open (as if it was a Japanese straight) and do my taps with it like that.

I was afraid if I were to tap on it in the closed position and get it too tight it might crack at the rivet when I tried to open it. Scary to do on a valuable razor. Glen would be the guy that might have the answer to this one.

Too late. Tried it. At one point it got way worse. I tried tapping ever so slightly sideways. So I went to tapping slightly sideways (sort of a glancing blow) the other way and it came back to were it started and wouldn't go any further. So it's just like it was before but it's VERY tight now. I think I'm done tapping.

Unfortunately I don't think I gazed at it long enough before working on it... I had just assumed that since the toe was catching that the blade was not aligned left to right (looking straight down on the spine). Actually the spine is centered. The edge is pointing to the left like the blade is rotated slightly on the spine. The blade looks perfectly straight and everything but the pin must be crooked on the other axis. (Not sure if that came across so well)

Hold the razor up in front of yer eyes, point the tail at yer nose and look at the end of the scales....
Are they straight across????, look kinda crosseyed at the pins are they level across???

Originally Posted by zib

Not loose in the pivot. I was told by a restorer that ducks are problematic that way. Is that true?

The cracked ice scales on DD's are the most finicky scales I have ever seen I have a true love hate relationship with them.....

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Hold the razor up in front of yer eyes, point the tail at yer nose and look at the end of the scales....
Are they straight across????, look kinda crosseyed at the pins are they level across???

Nope. That would be the problem... left scale is higher than the right. It might be too tight now, but which way should I have tapped?

Moral of the story: diagnose the problem BEFORE fixing it