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So my new Dovo's blade, when closed, comes dangerously close to scraping the inside of the scales. the shank(or is it tang) is set evenly between the pin, but when you look down it like a rifle barrel, you can see that the entire blade is shifted just a millimeter or two off center, just barely missing the scales.
Suggestions?
From a noob...
If it's not causing a problem, just enjoy your razor! If a problem develops later you'd have to address, but I don't see a point worrying if there's not an immediate issue.
Again, that's just my opinion and I've been known to be wrong once or twice.
I agree, if it's not causing a problem don't worry about it! :)
It is a judgement you have to make, whether to complain about it to whoever you bought it from or if you wanna fix it yourself.
It's really no big deal to fix it yourself.
The wiki has an article about how to fix this and related issues which I think is pretty good!
Link
well I'll tell you, I hate having to think about scraping my blade every time I close my razor. It even scraped once, because I accidentally put some side pressure on when closing it. But hey, I had no idea there was a wiki to fix that problem! I'm gonna check it out now, thanks!
ok, there is no way i can find that particular info in the wiki, its like searching through an encyclopedia that's not in alphabetical order. Care to post a link for me?
?Quote:
Originally Posted by daflorc
I thought I just did.
Didn't my hyperlinked "Link" lead you to the article "centering blades"?
I just tried clicking it, and I was taken directly there..
Ah well, if you for some reason can't see the link, here is the gist of it, copied from that article(which you should still read, it's really a great piece of info)
Pin Adjustment
If you want to avoid unpinning your razor or you feel the alignment is only slightly off. Some issues can be corrected by doing a minor Pin Adjustment. This adjustment is simply holding the razor over a hard surface and using a tablespoon or peening hammer, striking the pivot pin in order to cause the scale to adjustment away from the scale it is contacting (This method can also be used tighten up a loose scale).
You don't need to strike the pin very hard, you do not want to risk bending the pin or accidentally hitting/damaging the scales. A good test for how hard to hit the pin, is to hit it no harder then you would your finger... Seriously put you finger out on the anvil and tap the spot right at the cuticle and fingernail that real sensitive spot... If it hurts your finger you are tapping to hard...
I'm sorry birnardo, it does work, I'm just blind, didnt see it lol. Thanks again
If the pin adjustment doesn't work you can warm the scales & flex them the small amount needed for alignment ... providing the scales are plastic or horn
no such luck. ebony scales
My .02:
The gap that a razor closes into is always only a few mm. It barely takes any pressure to make the blade, even if it centers perfectly, close into one of the scales. One should always be careful when closing any razor.
Also, if having the blade slightly off center bothers you, be prepared to spend a lot of time on any rescale you do, and don't buy on ebay unless you are prepared to rescale at least 75% of your purchases and spend a lot of time getting them to center.
Some things to consider..
Before you beat on the pins of a Dovo...
Dovo's use a single lock system, normally on the back side of the scales, the front side is essentially a nail head..
If you start beating on the nail head you will crack the scale there is no adjustment there...
You have to adjust a Dovo from the back side only which also means you only get half the amount of adjustment possible with the two sided system...
Adjusting the scales is a matter of figuring out what direction you need to deflect the scale to get the desired movement o n the razor...
You can also adjust very slightly by tapping at the wedge end also...
Before you even start I will warn you that you will probably crack the scales, but you need to learn how to tighten scales anyway..
In the Workshop sticky are tons of links as to how we move them around but keep in mind those links are designed around the two sided system that most restorers use ...
Thanks Glen. Looking at it now, I see the side that looks like the nail head, and i can see that it is the head-side that i would be tapping, so I guess I'll just leave it be.
Holli, I've only bought a couple on ebay, with the intent of removing and remaking the scales. I am sure most old razors are out of funk. good advice still. I just thought a brand new one would be perfect. Maybe I'm too much of a perfectionist
I think straight razors are one of the few newly bought, mass produced items people put under the microscope (often literally). It would probably drive you totally insane if you paid as much attention to the details in everything you buy. I don't mean this as a good thing or a bad thing or a comment about you in particular - just something I think about.Quote:
Originally Posted by daflorc
What are our expectations on the quality of things we buy? Are our expectations consistent for various items? If yes, is that fair? If no, why do they vary?
Not to hijack the thread but ....... one of my pet peeves is when the blade is good and tight when it is straight out and beyond, like for stropping or shaving, but seems loose when coming around to closing. I've got a Wonderedge like that, as well as a couple of other vintage Solingens. A PITA because if I try and tighten the scales any further Murphy's law will no doubt come into play. :banghead:
+1 Jimmy. I really hate that too. Feel like I'm going to break the scales opening the razor up.
I only have a couple razors and one is kind of loose like that...its irritating. I don't know why, but I like these things to be perfect in every way, tight and right :)
On my first restore, I am going to try an old woodworking trick with the pins, and instead of pound the pin over the washer on the surface of the wood, drill a superficial hole in the scale where the washer will fit into, so the washer sits half embedded in the scale. Then, when pounding the pin, it takes the pressure off the surface of the wood, and any miniscule cracking/splitting will be inside the wood scale, out of sight from the surface of the wood.
BTW, I think I've seen some pins pinned without the use of washers. Is that OK? Or do they use such tiny washers and peen so perfectly that the washer is hidden/melded with the pin? Whatever it is, I love the clean look of tiny pins, seemingly washerless
My understanding is that the washer is there to take the stress off the scale material. This prevents the scales from cracking. The only scales I can think of that I have seen washerless are vintage ivory. I don't know about the strength of ivory (I assume very good), but a lot, for whatever reason, have cracks through the pins.
On most vintage razors, the washers are very small. Much smaller than the 0 washers from microfasteners. I prefer the smaller ones, but don't know where to find them and don't have the means to make them.
I prefer to play safe and use washers.
daflorc, I'm no expert on pinning but I have tightened quite a few. In my experience wood is more resilient than celluloid. Not sure about acrylic. You can crack a celluloid scale in a heartbeat if you go too far and that is what the vintage stuff was made of.
As for quality control, I worked in a factory briefly in my younger days and they paid piece work. IOW, you didn't get paid by the hour but by the total amount you produced. I don't know if that is the situation in Germany but my guess is Dovo wants to increase productivity as much as they want to maintain quality. The two kind of go together. Just IMHO.
I'm sure Dovo, like any company, would like to have high quality and high productivity. that can be a problem when you are making fine instruments.
There are a rare few companies (certain custom woodcrafting and granite companies, for instance) that have high quality, the best, no matter what. They're not as productive, but they're always in demand for their fine craftsmanship. the only problem is, you are going to pay out the nose for it.
I read somewhere:
There are three ways to do work: Fast, Cheap and Good. Pick two:
If you want something Fast and Good, it won't be Cheap.
If you want something Good and Cheap, it won't be Fast
If you want something Cheap and Fast, it won't be Good.