A few restorations

[Mastropiero]

Good evening gentlemen, time for a few more restorations.

First, a Filarmonica Especial and a Filarmonica Subcero.

 

[Gairdner]

Lovely work and stunning razors!

 

[Mastropiero]

I had to work a bit on this one, it had accumulated a humongous amount of rust near the pivot. The scales are lovely and I really didn't want to remove the pivot, but there was no other way to remove the rust. You can see by the amount of pitting that there was indeed a hefty amount of it. The razor is a Robert Kelly & Sons, quite a lovely blade. Hope you like the result.

 

[Grayswandir]

Looks like you did a good job on the pin. Did you use a small washer with your nickle-silver rod?

 

[Mastropiero]

Looks like you did a good job on the pin. Did you use a small washer with your nickle-silver rod?

No mate, the mini-washers I have tried, I didn't quite like the result, so for this pin I just put extra care into clipping the rod and filing it until I was happy. After that, it was just a matter of hammering gently it into submission, and buffing and polishing it. It turned out alright, dare I say.

 

[Grayswandir]

No mate, the mini-washers I have tried, I didn't quite like the result, so for this pin I just put extra care into clipping the rod and filing it until I was happy. After that, it was just a matter of hammering gently it into submission, and buffing and polishing it. It turned out alright, dare I say.

No doubt, I think I'll try that on a Genco I'm finishing up today. I did try it once, but that's because I bought some machined bullseye collars and the genius cut the hole to 3/16" instead of the standard 1/16 (either that, or I'm the genius who didn't realize they were 3/16 collars!). It was unfortunately a bridge too far for me because there was too much play in the collar (it was almost impossible to get them to center correctly) to do a decent looking job. I think I still have that pin in the bag of collars. The guy I bought the collars from said he put a 3/16th brass rod in the envelop he sent the collars in, but I don't think he did. I should have spoken up, but I said I probably threw the rod out by accident, and hey! Maybe I did, I'm getting old.

Hey man, remember that wedge I told you I was having a really hard time honing? I finally got the edges to apex. Here's the finished razor:

And one more:

It was the most difficult edge I've had to hone thus far. Doing a rolling x-stroke on this baby was very difficult. The end result is pretty nice though. The only thing I wish I would have done differently is used a wedge instead of a spacer on the scales. I'm starting to switch to wedges rather then using spacers. They're more difficult to make, but it's not too much more work to make a wedge, and I think the end result looks a little better.

-gray.

 

[Grayswandir]

Hi everyone. I finally managed to get some work done, this is the result, hope you like it.

There are two Wheatley Brothers "Wheat Sheaf", both with dark horn scales. The larger one I re-pinnned, using dome pins. Then there's a Sprock, for some reason someone messed up and you can see there's a second pin hole on the blade, it looks funny but, otherwise, is a healthy razor.

Last, a german blade I asked in a separate thread about, "The Derek". Silver steel, I cleaned and lolished the blade, removed the scales, sanded and polished them and re-pinned it. Quite happy with how it turned out and man, what a shaver!!

First, one of the Wheat Sheaf. View attachment 91529View attachment 91530

View attachment 91531View attachment 91532


Edit: I should add that I never go for the super-duper ultra polish and complete pit, or carbon-spots removal in my restorations. I think an old razor should show it's age and wounds of war. I do cleam them thoroughly and make sure there's no rust remaining, give them a light polish

There's nothing wrong with leaving some pitting behind, as long as it isn't on the edge, it isn't a problem. I love the collars you used, are they stainless steel or nickle-silver? I have some but they're stainless. I'm still looking for those flower collars, but I serious doubt I'll find them. I like the rosettes, but they're not quite the same. That's a lovely job you did there.

 

[Mastropiero]

There's nothing wrong with leaving some pitting behind, as long as it isn't on the edge, it isn't a problem. I love the collars you used, are they stainless steel or nickle-silver? I have some but they're stainless. I'm still looking for those flower collars, but I serious doubt I'll find them. I like the rosettes, but they're not quite the same. That's a lovely job you did there.

Well, I'll blame my lacking skills at processing a picture for the confusion, for making brass collars looking like stainless steel ones.... They are brass, I got them from a Romanian guy, I'm pretty sure he could machine them in silver too, he certainly does the Solingen type in steel.

It's taken me quite a few attempts (and by this I mean probably 40 - 50), but I am finally starting to feel comfortable when doing the pins. (btw, what's the proper verb for this in English? Is there any? I did see "peening" a few times, but it looks horrible to me....). I think it is very important to file the rod to the maximum before starting to hit it with the hammer. I've even taken a roll sander to the rod, after filing. I also do it, sometimes, if I want to flatten a bit the mushroom after having finished hammering.

That's a lovely W&B, by the way. Outstanding job.

 

[Grayswandir]

Well, I'll blame my lacking skills at processing a picture for the confusion, for making brass collars looking like stainless steel ones.... They are brass, I got them from a Romanian guy, I'm pretty sure he could machine them in silver too, he certainly does the Solingen type in steel.

It's taken me quite a few attempts (and by this I mean probably 40 - 50), but I am finally starting to feel comfortable when doing the pins. (btw, what's the proper verb for this in English? Is there any? I did see "peening" a few times, but it looks horrible to me....). I think it is very important to file the rod to the maximum before starting to hit it with the hammer. I've even taken a roll sander to the rod, after filing. I also do it, sometimes, if I want to flatten a bit the mushroom after having finished hammering.

That's a lovely W&B, by the way. Outstanding job.

Yeah man, peening works and it's fun to say or type!

I think I know the Romanian guy, at least I know him from ebay. He also sells the small Solingen cup washers, which I need. How long did it take for the washers to reach you via the mail? Pinning razors should be considered an art form. I have watched some old footage of some razor masters pinning a few blades, but they did it very quickly and most of the time the results showed that. I imagine on the more expensive razors they would slow down and carefully peen the razor, but I imagine they had the skill to do it fairly quickly as well.

I file the rod, but I think how much you have sticking out on the other side is important as well, so you have the right amount of rod sticking up for your purposes. I also strike the pin lightly, too hard and pin will bend, but you know all this yourself through trial and error. I sometimes use a hand file and sometimes just use my 1/2" drum sander on my Dremel, but if you do it that way you need to be a little more careful. One slip and the scales will need to be re-sanded (don't ask me how I know).

I cut a length of pin off the rod, place that into a small vice, file the top down where I made the cut, then peen that end just enough so that it doesn't slip through the hole in the scales when I'm ready to pin the razor. Do you do it the same way, or do you have another way of doing it?

 

[Mastropiero]

Yeah man, peening works and it's fun to say or type!

I think I know the Romanian guy, at least I know him from ebay. He also sells the small Solingen cup washers, which I need. How long did it take for the washers to reach you via the mail? Pinning razors should be considered an art form. I have watched some old footage of some razor masters pinning a few blades, but they did it very quickly and most of the time the results showed that. I imagine on the more expensive razors they would slow down and carefully peen the razor, but I imagine they had the skill to do it fairly quickly as well.

I file the rod, but I think how much you have sticking out on the other side is important as well, so you have the right amount of rod sticking up for your purposes. I also strike the pin lightly, too hard and pin will bend, but you know all this yourself through trial and error. I sometimes use a hand file and sometimes just use my 1/2" drum sander on my Dremel, but if you do it that way you need to be a little more careful. One slip and the scales will need to be re-sanded (don't ask me how I know).

I cut a length of pin off the rod, place that into a small vice, file the top down where I made the cut, then peen that end just enough so that it doesn't slip through the hole in the scales when I'm ready to pin the razor. Do you do it the same way, or do you have another way of doing it?

Peening it is then.

Your way is the same as mine. I clamp a large rod in the vice, I also place the collar, this way, when I finished filing the top and start peening, I have a good reference.

Once you're half done with that and run the rod through the scales and blade, the amount of rod you leave sticking out the other end is, indeed, the most important part of the process. It is, actually, the part it took me most to master. As a thumb rule, for beginners, whenever you think are about there.... Well, you're not. You still have way too much rod sticking out the other end. I've ruined many pins not realising this, ane I'd end up with a humongous mushroom, both uvly and unpractical.

I shan't ask you how you knoe about your problems with the sand rolls. I know it all too well. Banged many a time my head against the wall for ruining perfectly polished scales.

Regarding the collars, it takes about ten days, from Romania to Spain, shouldn't be much more to the UK, although who knows with you guys since Brexit.

 

[UKRob]

Can I add a couple of suggestions:

@Grayswandir - there is a reason why razors need a wedge rather than straight spacer. A wedge should reflect (approximately) the same angle of taper from tang to tail - this helps create the bow necessary to avoid the tang rubbing against the scales when closing the razor.

@Mastropiero - I have a method of cutting rod to size tha is foolproof. I start by holding a length of rod in a vice and peening one end. Then, add a washer and push through scales and blade and add the second washer. This is the foolproof part - I have a piece of metal with a hole just big enough to fit over the pin and about 2mm, or whatever thickness you prefer. With this fitted over the rod and washers, I then cut the rod which, after filing, is exactly the right length for peening.

 

[Mastropiero]

Can I add a couple of suggestions:

@Grayswandir - there is a reason why razors need a wedge rather than straight spacer. A wedge should reflect (approximately) the same angle of taper from tang to tail - this helps create the bow necessary to avoid the tang rubbing against the scales when closing the razor.

@Mastropiero - I have a method of cutting rod to size tha is foolproof. I start by holding a length of rod in a vice and peening one end. Then, add a washer and push through scales and blade and add the second washer. This is the foolproof part - I have a piece of metal with a hole just big enough to fit over the pin and about 2mm, or whatever thickness you prefer. With this fitted over the rod and washers, I then cut the rod which, after filing, is exactly the right length for peening.

Thanks @UKRob, that makes sense. Will see if I can find something in the den. Through trial and error I have trained my eye, eventually.... But it's always great to have a foolproof method.

By the way, @Grayswandir, I did get those brittle discs you told me about, they work actually really well, thanks. I also got much smaller steel wheels, which still work better than them brittle discs when there's pitting, to get the rust out of the pits. They are 16 mm wide and work much better than the 21 mm ones, if only because due to the shortness of the steel, you don't get constantly attacked by loose wires.

I'd get back to the flat with loose wires in my clothes, more than once I stepped barefoot on one and it's not pleasant. As a matter of fact, I think I managed to properly lodge one in my foot sole, and I've been walking funny for a while now.

 

[Grayswandir]

Can I add a couple of suggestions:

@Grayswandir - there is a reason why razors need a wedge rather than straight spacer. A wedge should reflect (approximately) the same angle of taper from tang to tail - this helps create the bow necessary to avoid the tang rubbing against the scales when closing the razor.

@Mastropiero - I have a method of cutting rod to size tha is foolproof. I start by holding a length of rod in a vice and peening one end. Then, add a washer and push through scales and blade and add the second washer. This is the foolproof part - I have a piece of metal with a hole just big enough to fit over the pin and about 2mm, or whatever thickness you prefer. With this fitted over the rod and washers, I then cut the rod which, after filing, is exactly the right length for peening.

Hey Rob,

Right you are, with a spacer there's a decent chance the tang will rub against the scales, and I don't like that. The other reason, at least according to what I've heard (and it makes sense) is a wedge prohibits the scales from warping. I guess the tension and bow the wedge creates stops the scales from warping over time, at least that's my thinking. Good point to bring up, thanks.

Edit: Did you ever make a YouTube video on pinning Rob? I swear I remember watching either an Irish or English gentleman peen a razor, and he did it pretty much the same way you just described.

 

[UKRob]

this is maybe what you are thinking about by @JamieM

How to Peen and unpeen a razor.

www.atgshaving.com

 

[Grayswandir]

this is maybe what you are thinking about by @JamieM

How to Peen and unpeen a razor.

www.atgshaving.com

Yup, that's the video I was talking about.