Thread: Wedge for Aluminum Scales

I had originally planned to send out an Antoni Tadross of mine for a restoration however, I decided to do the work myself for some practice and to pass time.

The scales are aluminum, some of you may have seen the razor when I posted it a while back. I had to unpin the razor to sand and polish and I don't like the look or condition of the original wedge. Is it recommended to keep metal on metal or can I do an acrylic wedge or something such as "recon stone?" I want a contrasting color for sure.

If acrylic or recon stone will not work, does anyone know what will?

Thanks!

You could keep it all metal and make a wedge out of brass. Just my 2 cents.

You need to realize that Steel & Aluminum might not react so well together when you add water and soap, let alone other metals..

Here is some reading, Google is your friend, that was just the first one I found, you need to research even farther...

CR4 - Thread: Galvanic Reaction Between Stainless Steel and Aluminum

Yeah, I can tell you from automotive experience that Steel and Aluminum aren't good neighbors. Same with Steel and Fiberglass resin. I think if I were you I'd go for a cherry wedge, or some other hardwood wedge, or an acrylic of just about any color other than white or black. I haven't seen the razor in question, but I think a natural wood would be a great contrast, as would a contrasting acrylic. I like the idea of stone. In this area there's a lot of red granite, but I have no idea how a guy would get a hold of some and shape it into a wedge.

This is the razor. I think red would be nice! I am also considering something a little more bright and "out there" like orange, lime green, etc. I think a colored transparent acrylic would be neat

One more question though, the old wedge, washers, and pins were steel (I'm nearly 100% sure). I wonder why these didn't cause any effects even in the many years since it was manufactured.

Could be "that" Aluminum who knows how that was made...

I'd be surprised to find out that they were steel. How sure are you? Do they cling to a magnet? (Just an indication) Do they rust?

I don't have any knowledge on historic materials for razor construction (besides the very basics), but could it be that they are also aluminum, or possibly nickle? Aluminum against steel turns white and chalky and both will pit over time.

It could be that some older aluminum alloys had high tin or nickel content.

Surprisingly I do not have a magnet in my apartment.. atleast not one that I can find.

Now that I've double checked, the wedge seems very light and probably isn't steel, aluminum may be a good bet. The washers are brass and I must have thrown away the old pins once I cut them.

Maybe I can go with brass pins and washers and get a similar colored wedge? I think that would look nice but not as a pictured it unfortunately. I'll have to do some research

The magnet will attract ferrous metals. Any metal with iron in it will be attracted including steel. Aluminum doesn't have enough in it's alloys to be magnetic.

You could still do a lot of cool things with the wedge even with brass pins/washers. But you could possible use nickle if you can find it. I don't THINK nickle will react...but I'm not really sure.