Hi guys, I got this amazing razor for a small price because the handle is loose. I shaved two times with it, I just have to be carefull to lock it in the normal gap angle. I tried to hit the crimping without success. Its exactly the same, maybe I am being to cautious, but I dont want to damage it. Do anyone know someone who could solve this at a fair price? I live in Portugal, so in europe would be faster to send it.
Razor Emporium may be able to help. They talk about swaging heads back on handles in at least one of their videos.
mmm. This is a press fit which relies on plastic/elastic deformation of the handle to stay fixed. To fix it will mean you have to expand the male part on the handle and then press fit it into the head. This may or may not be an easy fix....
Do you think it could be weld? I can try to find someone to do it. The problem is the tiny area to work.
With the following caveats: *YMMV *AYOR *IANAE The handle and head are both brass (i think) so welding is out of the question. You could braze it but you would ruin the razor finish if not the entire assembly and brazing isn't an exact science so you could end up brazing the entire thing solid. You could use an adhesive. Problem here is you are bonding the plating together and not the base metal, plus, like brazing, you will have to be very careful in the application unless you glue it shut (or open). If it is a sentimental piece or something to be used once in a blue moon, i would leave as is. However.... If you fancy a bit of risk, i would do what Gillette did and re-swage it. Or get somebody else to do it. Brass is not as elastic as steel and can work harden very easily but its not completely inelastic and ypu may get away with this. (May in big letters lol). Reswaging will mean you opening up the splines again and then repressing the head on. The opening up bit is easy enough with a drift, but the hard bit is doing it just enough to get repurchase on the head, but not too much that you work harden the splines and end up toothless. Once opened up, you could help mating matters somewhat by heating the head and/or cooling the handle (although cooling brass can increase brittleness). Its a crap shoot. If you can get some vernier callipers and measure the bits and bobs and try to work out how much you need to "drift" the splines, it might work. Gillette would have done this by calculation and then by empirical methods to fine tune. Unfortunately, you only have 1 bullet in your chamber.
I assume the handle is loose but doesn't come all the way off. Are you able to get the T-Bar out? If you can get the T-Bar out I'd just swag the handle in place. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Professional-6-in-1-Swaging-Tool-80-538-111/304341669 I've tightened TTO knobs with a 2 oz brass mallet and the side of a 1/8" brass punch. It doesn't take much. Keep it simple and easy. Brass is very soft and you'll be surprised at how little force it will take. You can always apply more force, but you can't unapply too much force. I'd use some lube and be prepared to get the swaging tool out if it gets stuck.
Is that how Gillette originally made it? To do that you need to remove the doors? Good idea though if you are ok getting the doors off and then removing the t-bar. (I imagine ylu need to take note of the t-bar position/screw so that its the same on reassembly?
@MrEE Yes I can take the T-bar out =) but I never could reassemble the razor without rotating the loose base plate. Because turning the base plate is how it comes out. But that swaging tool seems what I need if I can do it!! Thanks!
Matt at Razor Emporium is a stand up guy and worth every penny he asks. I would trust him to save your razor.
@BlueShaver the problem is getting it back together without rotating the base plate lol One thing I am also thinking is a cold weld with "nural 21".
@Primotenore, Matt is great but I live in Portugal, so sending it, paying for repair, and getting it back will be expensive. And I want the pleasure of repairing it for myself =p
I'm not 100% sure they were swaged into place, but I know the US TTO's were all swaged. A nail set tool may work well enough too. I'd set the base on a piece of pine to protect the other end while tapping. Actually, I'd press into place in my bench vice using a set of soft jaws. <--- view starting at 6 min. The US razors have a screw or a crimped cap on the bottom. I'm not sure how you would reassemble your razor if the TTO knob is solid. I'll see what I can find.
I would try cleaning the crimped area with a small wire hand brush or sandpaper well and take some loctite 620 high strength or loctite 648 high strength and that should make a excellent bond and it will be water proof and will stay good for many years as long as you follow their directions. You do not need much loctite and do not get it in threads because it will give grief and you will have find a tap. The way I would let it dry is handle barrel upwards after applying loctite and base plate laying flat(raised a little with tooth picks). After cured assembly razor and put back into service. If you know a Machinist or Millwright he will loan you some.