lather catcher/gem jr 1900. blade wont stay in place.help!

I'm very interested in these razors... can you post pics illustrating the problem?

yes, its the safety latch , on top of the razor it loose can it be fixedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAJ2zYM3D2w

Im about to show my restore on one of these old lather catchers. I bet your rivets are loose causing you to have a lower tension.

ambrose said:

I bet your rivets are loose causing you to have a lower tension.

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Ambrose, I knew it, my rivets are way too tight causing my hypertension. (I couldn't resist that). In all seriousness. How do you tighten loose rivets. I have a lather catcher with the extra "swing bar", my safety clasp is tight enough, but the swing bar doesn't clasp down firmly. Still a fine shave, but it would be perfect if I could tighten the jiggly swing bar.

Darjeeling Express said:

Ambrose, I knew it, my rivets are way too tight causing my hypertension. (I couldn't resist that). In all seriousness. How do you tighten loose rivets. I have a lather catcher with the extra "swing bar", my safety clasp is tight enough, but the swing bar doesn't clasp down firmly. Still a fine shave, but it would be perfect if I could tighten the jiggly swing bar.

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A small vise holding a nail punch upside down and a ball peen hammer. Ill see if I can take a pic for you to get a better idea.

ambrose said:

A small vise holding a nail punch upside down and a ball peen hammer. Ill see if I can take a pic for you to get a better idea.

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I'm getting the idea! I'm going to have to inspect this as we speak.

Ambrose, here are pics for your expert eye.

Darjeeling Express said:

Ambrose, here are pics for your expert eye.

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Yup, that is a Lather Catcher.

I hope this give you the idea you need.

Its a nail punch in a vise with the punch side in the vise. I then aligned the rivet to the top flat spot of the punch and used the ball peen hammer to tap it tight.

it was the safety notch not the square thing that holds it, its the top pin you push down to keep it place so it wont slide up when pressing on skin.....

alex2363 said:

it was the safety notch not the square thing that holds it, its the top pin you push down to keep it place so it wont slide up when pressing on skin.....

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pics ?

alex2363 I thought you said it was loose

Darjeeling Express, I hope you will benefit from the tip and the pic for your issue.

ive tried that fix before. near impossible.

Ambrose, I am so grateful for your efforts. (P.S. your restore is the stuff of legends!)

Dave, always wonderful to have the master weigh in, even if you're not optimistic.

optomistic no. honest yes

ambrose said:

pics ?

Alex2363 i thought you said it was loose

darjeeling express, i hope you will benefit from the tip and the pic for your issue.

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yes, when i put the blade in and close the square thingy then lastly when i presss down on the safety latch its kinda loose and the blade slides up. Its the same part you was missing and poonjai gave you one.

ambrose said:

I hope this give you the idea you need.

Its a nail punch in a vise with the punch side in the vise. I then aligned the rivet to the top flat spot of the punch and used the ball peen hammer to tap it tight.

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So you're essentially using the vice/punch combo as a mini anvil. Brilliant!

alex2363 said:

it was the safety notch not the square thing that holds it, its the top pin you push down to keep it place so it wont slide up when pressing on skin.....

Click to expand...

What is loose in your case I am betting is the catch at the back of the blade? Sounds like it.

I have another Jr. Bar with the same problem (one I've not mentioned here on the site yet). I think it predates my 1908 Jr. Bar, as it has a (delaminating 2 piece) wood handle. In my case, both the bar and the catch are loose. But only in the fully closed position.

My rivets are tight, but the spring piece held by them appears to be either worn or bent where it applies pressure to the parts in the fully closed position. I am guessing here, but speculate what may be needed is for these areas to be slightly tweaked (ie: bent) the correct amount in the correct place and direction, to apply pressure on the parts in the fully closed position.
Also speculating, I'll be that doing so with removal of the spring piece is nearly impossible?

So Ambrose, am I on the right track? And if so, when removing and replacing the spring piece, are you at all able to reuse the existing rivets, or must they be replace with new? .

D.Irving79 said:

ive tried that fix before. near impossible.

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Which fix? Seems like either problem is related to the spring piece. Have you removed, reshaped and remounted these? (not sure how do-able the reshaping is, speculating here on what I think might work).

T Rick, if you take out the rivets in my opinion they will need to be replaced. Its a real tedious task to get them out without damaging the razor head but it can be done. Thank you and yes its a mini improvised anvil

Darjeeling Express, thank you for the kind words. The stuff of legends, thats a heavy title Im more just a guy who sees a potential in broken stuff.

ambrose said:

Darjeeling Express, thank you for the kind words. The stuff of legends, thats a heavy title

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You forget, we've all seen your mock ups of the LE 2009 Brush and the effort (and results) on this Lather Catcher restore is breathtaking. Really.

Darjeeling Express said:

You forget, we've all seen your mock ups of the LE 2009 Brush and the effort (and results) on this Lather Catcher restore is breathtaking. Really.

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Geez I nearly forgot about that brush and the mock ups
Thanks bud, dont you just love the kind folks here on B&B