NYLON SPACERS??

Dumb trend started by Karve. People kept using them and now everyone does.

Soon someone is going to invent DE blade condoms, to prevent the blade from touching the plates or something like that and people will buy it.

Monday, July 17

Klar Kabinett~~Simpson M7~~1958 D3 Gillette Adjustable (9)/Spoiler~~DR Harris Pink
Have a great day!

SharpnShiny...well, at the very least, if you're a 'collector' and frequently sell razors it makes sense to keep the 'Baseplate' unmarked, that is, if you want to get 'top dollar'? Any other suggested 'benefits' are subjective.

As far as how long the use of Nylon Washers have been around, IDK? But, I think it precedes '2018.

b/r

RB

Monday, July 17

Klar Kabinett~~Simpson M7~~1958 D3 Gillette Adjustable (9)/Spoiler~~DR Harris Pink
Have a great day!

Must have been half asleep...

Maybe I'll just glue or silicone a nylon washer to my Razor base plate, then I won't forget to put one on. haha

My humble opinion as an ex-machinist is that nylon washers serve only one purpose and that is to protect the baseplate from scratches as also the
threaded pin of the top cap from possible impacts and vibrations during
shipping/transit .
Or -for example-when traveling with an assembled razor in the luggage .

Other than that the nylon washer serves no real purpose .
In fact ,when the razor is used along with a nylon washer few issues can occur .

The more threads are engaged at a bolt-nut joint ( as is the top cap threaded pin and the handle ) the force applied on the threads is more evenly
distributed -sort of speaking - .
Less threads engaged ,the higher the force applied ,mainly on the first couple of threads engaged.A typical nylon washer has a thickness of 1mm .
The most common threading used on most modern razors is the
ISO Metric M5  x 0.8 ,thus installing  a nylon washer between the baseplate and handle effectively will decrease the
number of engaged threads by 1.25
( one full turn and 1/4 quarter of a turn or 450 degrees ) .That may seem a small difference but when one counts how many threads are actually engaged between the top cap and the handle with the baseplate in between ,
it becomes a considerable amount of
thread reduction .What all these actually mean ?

That a nylon washer does protect the underneath of the baseplate from scratches but has the opposite effect on threads.It can considerably accelerate thread wear.

The other issue is that nylon is not rigid.That "give in " transfers to the clamping of the blade.
It also may seem that is a negligible amount ,but considering that a modern razor is made with very low tolerances
( just think of blade gap and blade exposure numbers of 0.xx for example) ,it may negatively affect the clamping force applied to the blade.

Karve was supplying their razors with a small card that explained the reason of the nylon washer and noting that after shipping the nylon washer should not be used ,while shaving .



Chris is a machinist himself and he's aware of what issues can occur by
having a nylon washer on a razor ,
while the latter is being used .

Just my 2 cents .

Agree with the above.

Had a conversation with Chris Kirchen back when Karve was gaining traction some years ago and he confirmed washers can have the opposite effect and will quicken and promote thread wear. Less threads engaged is not ideal. I don’t use them.

While I do not dispute what those with more knowledge than me have stated about threadwear It's been at least 5 years or more with people using them and I've never heard of one failing because of this. I use washers on higher end razors to protect them and will state that I have seen some used washers that have rough edges that have done exactly what's trying to be prevented and scratched finishes. Like anything if done with care and not cranking down on it I don't see an issue and have not had any. As with everything in this hobby, each person has to do what they feel is best for their circumstances.

Do not expect to notice something like
total thread failure ,especially in such sort period of time of five or six or even ten years.
Keep in mind that this kind of joint on
razors is not really under excess stress and the bolt-nut joint is tightened manually by hand and not with the use of a lever action or power tool.

What actually can be expected is a slight "play"  of the handle ,until the handle is fully tightened ( then there's no play at all ) .But that "play" will be gradually building up .
In real life the worst that can occur is that at some point the handle will be very prone to be un-tightened by it's own ,no matter how "hard" was hand tightened firstplace.Of course that regards brass or stainless steel razors .
A more rare case of thread stripping can also occur if someone has the habit to over-tighten the handle ,along with using a nylon spacer. 

Titanium razor threads will last longer,
provided that they are tightened slowly
and without excess force .
Titanium and its alloys are very prone to a friction micro-welding phenomenon called "galling" -if they are not treated by type 2 anodizing.

Side note: One can find more info by googling "Titanium anodizing types .There are 3 types .For heat resistance,for galling resistance and for coloring the surface.

Most Aluminium alloys and plated ZAMAK ( pot metal ) razors will suffer most from using them with a nylon spacer,or at least the effects will be evident pretty quickly .Total thread failure ( stripping ) is quite easy to occur with these metal alloys.Plus ,the tap water and it's minerals do have an impact on both ,which can drastically accelerate thread failure.

It's a good idea to use some drops of non-toxic lubricating agent ( like Canola oil ) every time after shaving ,
when the razor is cleaned and dry ,
before assembling it back ( that also means that the razor is not left with a blade loaded,but the blade is removed after each shave  ) .
Couple drops of lubricant inside the handle threads or on the cap's threaded pin will provide adequate corrosion and
friction wear protection .

Of course ,I agree that each person has to do what they feel is best for their circumstances.Myself do not use nylon washers ,as I do not intent to sell my razors ,but pass them on to my son .
Those scratches underneath will probably be another tiny reminder of his dad ,when I would eventually be gone.A reminder that his dad once was using those razors .But on the other hand Im always using a few drops of Canola oil on the threads.I prefer for the razors to have the least amount of thread wear for the rest of my lifetime ,before passing them on to my beloved son .

Well, you guys convinced me. I've removed my Nylon Washers from the two razors I own. Live and learn. I can see how 'less' thread engagement might cause problems over a period of time.

Thank you for lending your expertise and knowledge.

b/r

RB