Thread: Re-drilling the pivot hole in the tang

Seraphim's idea of using the brass insert is a good one though. The point I would take home is that there are many ways to relieve this kitty of their coat.

Bruce, when I have been allowed to leave Rockwell dents in someone else's razors, I've found that hardness can vary widely.

You know, JB Weld might work...I dropped an airbrush a number of years ago and snapped off the bottom tube feed that was brazed on. I scuffed the parts up and added a dose of JB Weld and it's still together to this day...and that was fifteen years ago and bonded to chrome. Makes me wonder if you didn't fill that hole up and then sand it flat, then drill it.

Just about all the razors I have bought of Ebay have required some repair to the pivot pin. I use Selleys, Steel Knead It. It is an epoxy that can be hand kneaded and sets in around 10 minutes. It gives great results (I can't say for how long though). I ALWAYS inlarge the pivot pin hole in the tang, this has required using diamond tiped reamers on a Dremal, or if I'm lucky a 3/32" drill. I then fill the enlarged hole with the epoxy and then drill with a 3/32" drill so I can insert a piece of 3/32" brass tube. Sounds tight I know but I also haven't come across a pin hole yet that was straight, and therefore a straight pivot pin either! Once the 3/32" tube is inserted and left very slightly raised either side of the tang, I can then place a 3/32" brass (bearing) washer over the insert, and then 1/16" pin straight through the sucker! Fits as snug as!! I wouldn't dream of trying this without a drill press, and I am still trying to work out the best way to get the new hole perpendicular through the tang. If anybody can help there I would be very greatfull!!
I've, (hopefully) included a picture of a pivot pin hole I have restored recently.

The way I make sure my drill press is drilling perpendicular is to drill a hole in a 2x4 or thicker piece and then stick a rod in the hole and check for square. It has worked for me to get the pivot hole in pocket knives. Before drilling I put a prop under the front of the drill press table. When drilling steel, the table will flex forward just a hair due to lack of support on the front of the table. It is very slight but I built a small metal lathe from scratch once and accuracy was important. That is how I drill the end of a rod. I drill a hole the size of the rod and stick it in the hole and then drill the end. Mack

I'm with Philadelph on this one... I've never filled in & re-drilled a pivot hole.

I do put 3/32" OD 1/16" ID tube overtop my 1/16" pin, if the hole is large enough. if its not, I jsut use the 1/16" rod only.

The only time I ever find a blade to be loose enough to be annoying...has been times when the 3/32" tube fits, and it fixes the annoyance. So, no need to drill. ever. for me anyway.

Just make sure you never make the tube wider than the tang..otherwise no matter how long you peen the blade will never get tight

My concern with not fixing the egg shaped hole is that no matter how secure you peen the pin, after a while there will eventually be a very slight movement or sliding, if you will, of the handle. It may not be noticable at first but it will happen and when it does " if the razor is used enough" it will egg shape the hole in the scale. Remember, when the manufacture made the razor, the hole was secure and it ended up egg shaped. The stress of opening and closing and stroping etc. will eventually cause problems. Besides, I am obsessive about mine.

I have used JB Weld on some of my razors and it works real well.
I had some and repaired a pulley on my lawn mower cuz it kept slicing off my v-belts. Worked like a charm now for 5 yrs.

Some of those large misshapen holes are not the product of wear and tear - a lot of old razors, particularly pre-1900 ones, had the hole punched in them (the smaller hole in an anvil, next to the hardy hole, was used by the hole-puncher) by the forger. These take on the shape of the punch - I've seen a lot of them, and most are squarish or oblong and very wide compared to the drilled holes in more modern razors. So - at a point in time it was normal for the hole to be over-sized, and those old razors don't seem to have any more problems than the ones produced much later (if anything I think they had less problems!).

Regards,
Neil

It is totaly water proof and even sets up under water,
another reason for using it on a razor
I was fixing a toilet at Stetson university before I retired from maintenance ten years ago. I droped a pair of pliers in the bowl and it broke a hole about the size of a dime completely through. I had some jb weld stuff called pool putty that was white, so I mixed it together and poked some in the hole and smoothed it over real thin. Water makes it easy to smooth over. It is still being used. The stuff is amazing.

I also use the brass tubing to stop the "sliding" of the blade. I haven't tried filling the pivot and redrilling it since I don't have the right equipment to ensure it's straight, but I just ream the pivot out JUST enough with a diamond tip grinder in my Dremel. Haven't had any problems yet