Thread: Most common reason blade isn't centered?

what is the reason blade isn;t centered? how to fix it? thank you

I would think that either the holes were not drilled correctly or the pin is bent.

Sometimes the blade is ground slightly off center, this happened often in older vintage “near wedge” razors. Back then they used a single wheel to grind the hollows, one side at a time.
Also older blades, sometimes the taper of the tang is not ground even with the axis of the blade and that will throw the blade to one side or the other.
I suppose they weren’t too concerned about the “precision” of the grinding because it would shave as well as one that was ground evenly, and the finisher could “adjust” the new scales to fit… easily done with horn.

Sometimes the one scale would shrink more that the other and that would cause the pivot holes to go out of alignment… but more often celluloid scales with inserts, both scales may scale shrink at the same rate, however the metal insert on the front scale will not, so the front scale will warp throwing the butt end out of center.

I have stopped worrying about a blade's pivot hole drilled off centre, the pivot pin will always be a “loose fit” in the hole, so if the holes in the scales are centered and all other things being OK, then the blade will center.

And of course, a badly warped blade would do the same… I guess nothing is perfect but this makes for interesting variety.

I am working on a W&B with what appears to be either an off center grind or a twisted blade (everything is fine from the tang to the heel then goes off center to the toe). I've created the illusion of center by placing an extra washer inside the scales to push the toe more to the middle of the scales.

Bent pin or scale. Repin it or live with it if pin. If plastic or horn scales, you can rebend the scales. Not easy, but doable.

Just an idea that may work.

OK so the blade is off center because it’s warped or ground off center; in any case there is nothing you can do to straighten the hardened steel blade.
However if you are making NEW sales for such a blade you could try this…

When you pin the wedge end, don’t tighten, leave it a little loose. Then pin the pivot and tighten as normal.
Now because the wedge is loose you can now “adjust” the wedge end one way or the other and center the blade, then carefully peen to tighten the wedge and hopefully the blade will remain centered.

Just making sure I understand the process, but adjusting the wedge would essentially just warp the scales in a certain way to conform with the razors shape?

Sometimes it works when you put paper between the scales and the blade before you tighten the pin.

Originally Posted by Leighton

Just making sure I understand the process, but adjusting the wedge would essentially just warp the scales in a certain way to conform with the razors shape?

Correct... and depending on the blade warp, you may not have to "warp" the scales too much to center the blade,... it may not be noticeable. but it also depends on how flexible is the new scale material.

Ever de-pin a razor, and made new scales for it, only to discover the blade has a warp and won't center in the new scales?... but you remember, somehow the blade centered in original scales.

Originally Posted by 0livia

Sometimes it works when you put paper between the scales and the blade before you tighten the pin.

That will also work, once used a strip of an old plastic credit card. Slip between the blade and the scales (only one side), then hit the pivot pin a few times, when the plastic strip is removed the blade appears to move closer to the side that the slip was placed... this is because one side of the scale would stretch (plastic) or stretch the pivot pin hole (wood) and push the wedge end away thus changing the center of the blade.