Description
The Dovo straight razor replacement scales are appropriate for most 11/16″ and smaller straight razors. These scales are made of West African Macassar ebony wood.
Dovo shapes, polishes, and assembles these scales by hand in their factory in Solingen, Germany.
These blanks age for months to allow resistance to temperature/pressure/humidity variances; they’re not as inert as the micarta on a Dovo en vogue, mind you, but are good enough to earn the German reference of “noble wood” (noble as in a reference to the noble gases).
Replacement straight razor scales have become a vital part in The Superior Shave‘s fight to stay solvent!
Made to Fit the 5/8 Modern Standard Razor Dimensions
Current production size 5/8 or 4/8 German razor will fit. To be sure of your particular razor as there are so many thousands of brands, measure the distance from your razor’s pivot pin hole to the furthest point away on the cutting edge. Your razor should have a measurement <116mm at this spot.
Wedge Pre-Installed & Built for Modern 5/8 Thickness
Furthermore, these Dovo yew wood replacement scales for straight razors are built with a wedge at the non-pivot pin already installed. The wedge angle is based on the presumption of the pivot pin zone of the razor needing the space of a current German 5/8, which is ~3.5mm. A range of razors can fit depending upon their tangs and your skills. If your tang is >3.5mm at metal adjacent to the pivot pin hole it may be a tight fit or a creaky install. Conversely, if the tang’s <3.4mm you may have a challenge getting the scales extra tight or need thicker washers.
Breadth of Scale Built for 5/8, Not 6/8
The maximum width across these scales near the non-pivot pin area is 18.9mm. A 6/8 razor will NOT work because the length of the razor at the heel from edge to spine would possibly “peek out” below these scales.
These Ebony wood scales weigh approximately 15g.
Includes All Required Hardware!
You’ll get one ‘pin and rosette’ and 2 washers with your replacement straight razor scales. The scales are already given their hand-fitted-and-sanded wedge/pinning for the non-pivot end, and also already pre-drilled at the pivot pin.
INSTALLATION TIPS
To install, first remove any incumbent scale/hardware. Line up razor and scale, and put the rosette and pin in with washers between each side of the tang and inside of scales. Nail in to some soft wood, or preferably use a jewelry anvil. Crimp off the rear excess of the pin, and begin peening the backside. Use a small ball peen hammer with the pin head flush to a firm surface such as a jewelry anvil.
It helps to open the razor to the loosest point and hold in this position while hitting the rear of the pin. Hammer from various approach angles. Be certain the head of the pin touches the backing surface, and not the wood. It is a moderate skill, much like stropping and wielding the blade for its purpose.
