Broken Scale on newish Dovo

I got a new dovo with black scales, cheapest one I came across at the time being my first razor. I got it almost a year ago. Last night when I was done shaving I set it down on a towel and one of my scales broke right at the pivot pin. Is this an issue with this model or just a one off thing?

Silver lining... Ive been wanting to do a rescale for a while now, I'm a machinist by nature so I've no doubt I can do it, however time is an issue and I'm not to knowledgeable on riveting. Also should/can I reuse my pins or do I have to buy new ones?

You will want new pins, but they are very inexpensive. Watch a few videos. It is amazingly easy to do and is my favorite step in a rescale.

Yeah, there was another post recently where the same thing happened to someone elses Dovo. Seems like someone in the Dovo factory is a bit heavy handed with the hammer.

Here ya go. This should help you.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/175966-DIY-pins-and-peening

Awesome, thanks. I was surprised it just came apart like that right after my shave. Glad to see I'm not the only one, well sorta, would be better if it didn't happen in the first place. thanks for the link, I've been thinking all day what too use for my new scales, I just got so many ideas.

I remember that previous post. I seem to remember. Dove denied it was a quality issue. Seems dove require a reevaluation of quality control.

Horn is a really classy scale material and is amazingly easy to work with. Cuts shapes sands and polishes with simple hand tools. Add a heat gun if you need to bend and straighten. Pretty tough when it comes to pinning so you are not likely to break it. A couple 3 or 4mm slabs are cheap on ebay.

Is there a good way to add a bit of weight to it? My razor has always seemed a bit on the light side. also would wood be a decent option for scales?

People frequently make awesome wood scales. Wood is a bit harder to keep straight. Wood is bad to want to warp with temperature and humidity changes. The key is starting with arrow straight wood and keeping it that way along with a very waterproof finish. Horn on the other hand can be heated, clamped straight and then allowed to cool. Weight is somewhat adjustable through various means. Use a heavy wedge material. I have some copper on hand I want to use for a wedge on a heavy bladed razor soon. Lead wedges are frequently used. The scales can be laminated to another material to add weight as well. Just keep in mind the over all balance and looks as you decide. A thin 5/8 full hollow is often selected because the shaver wants a light maneuverable razor. The heavy crowd will go with a 7/8 quarter hollow. The scales and the blade need to have the right feel together. The blade leads the parade with the weight of the scales acting to dampen and smooth out the shave. Scales that are to heavy will feel like they are trying to control the shave. Try a bare western style blade with no scales and see how wrong it feels. It can feel just as wrong the other way if scales are to heavy.

I've watched a few videos and have a question. After I take our apart to trace the blade how do I store the blade to keep it from getting damaged in any way? Its seems if id set it down our on something it might nick the edge, I'm not sure if that ever happens or if I'm just being paranoid.

Oil it and wrap it in a paper towel or 2. Place in safe spot. Done.