13 Attachment(s)
First three re-scales - Bengall, Gelle Freres, George Butler
Finally getting around to posting my first 3 re-scales. All 3 blades still require some work with polish, honing, etc, but have been freed from rust and minor patina. The scales are a variety of woods, all finished with a natural wax polish. I use microfasteners for my re-pinning.
I realise that my tools and my skills are both lacking for now, but hopefully I make some ground with patience/time spent working on these. Any feedback is appreciated. Hopefully the pictures come through okay.
1. Bengall Extra Hollow Ground
This one came in poor condition, with cracked scales and a fair amount of surface rust. The scales are made from a single piece of wood that showed quite stark colour differences in the grain - hence one side being much lighter and the other more red. The spacer is lead - this is one aspect I am not pleased with and improved on for my second attempt.
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2. Gelle Freres Paris
A fair amount of rusting on the blade and in the pins. Blade cleaned up very nicely with some hand-sanding (which is generally what I limit myself to, where possible). Scales are a native New Zealand Rimu, stained to a darker smoky brown. Blade centers nicely.
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3. George Butler wedge/part wedge
One of the first blades I picked up (top of the first picture, below), but knew there was something special about this one, so have been saving it. And it really does have a lovely solid feel to to - my first and only wedge or part wedge. For this one, I opted for an ambitious single-piece of timber, I believe a deep red macrocarpa that proved a little softer than I'd hoped, but gives a lovely finish and has a wonderful natural grain. Still requires a little bit of tinkering for the curves to look as nice as I hoped for, but very pleased for a first attempt at a single piece.
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