Quote Originally Posted by ignatz View Post
This is an interesting approach, but I would like to offer the observation that this sort of funnel-shaped washer might not always be a good choice. This is for two reasons.

First of all, the cut-away illustrations you have included show a fairly generous hole in which the pivot pin seems to have an excessively small diameter. A properly-sized pivot pin should 'just' fit the hole in the razor tang. Of course, if it actually does fit correctly, then there will be no additional room for that funnel-shaped washer to sink down into.

Second point. On many razors the hole in the tang is not perfectly round. In fact it will be seen that many an older razor has a pivot hole that is elongated or deformed to a greater or lesser degree. If a funnel-shaped washer is used in this circumstance, then the 'funnel' of the washer will necessarily be forced down into whatever space it can fill (assuming again that the pivot pin is too small and does not fit correctly) and may very well become 'keyed' to the elongated hole so that instead of serving as a friction reducer between tang and scale the funneled washer will instead be forced to rotate with the opening and closing of the razor. The end result of that might be rubbing and wear between the outside of the funneled washer and the inside of the scale.
I am sure you're right about this. I have yet to restore a razor with a smaller pivot hole. I also have not restored enough razors to know what type of difference there is in friction from flat to flared washers.

I made this post for the resto chat the other night and Glen suggested the flaring may be due to wear on the washer from the pin causing the flare and may not have been intentional at all.

I just figure if it is just as easy for me to make a flared and a flat washer I should challenge the norm and figure out if there are situations where one would be better than the other. If there is are valid situations for flared washers, that becomes a new tool in my mental tool box to use. Specially on large pivot holes as this cuts out the time it would take to sleeve it or re-drill it by simply making the washers a different way.

As for your question for pivot sizing PDobson, I was under the assumption that the pin holds the scales together and the scales hold the razor in place. The Torry I restored had a larger pivot hole and I did no sleeving and it seems to work fine. So I didn't think the pin NEEDS to fit the pivot hole snug.

Maybe one of our experts could clarify the science behind the construction at the pivot.