Thread: My first scales!! (Thanks)

Hey mate,

How did you go about this and are there some more photos?

I am trying to do the same with some razors I got recently.

Cheers

I didn’t take pics or record any of the process because I was experimenting and didn’t even think about posting until after I was done. Plus there are so many folks on here with more experience. Next time I’ll think ahead.
But here’s what I did:

The library section here has lots of good stuff that got me started.

Straight Razor Place Library - Straight Razor Place Library

I also watched this Youtube video. I have no workshop or drill press or belt sander. I used only hand tools.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...68191837,d.cWc

And I searched this forum and others for how to pin and peen. For example

Un-pinning and re-pinning a razor - Straight Razor Place Library

Getting the wood stock –
I couldn't find 1/8th wood stock in my neighborhood so instead of ordering some I cut a piece of 1x2 pine long enough to make sure I could trace scales on it. A 1x2 isn’t really one inch thick. It’s more like ¾ inch. I “ripped” it in half the long way with a coping saw and put half of it way. (A Japanese style saw and a vise would probably work much better but I don’t own either and a coping saw let me do it nice and slowly in hand without slicing myself up.) Then I sanded the rough side of my new piece as if I was lapping a hone, with cross hatched pencil lines and all. Then I cut the blank in half again the same way so that I had two pieces, one for each scale, and then I lapped each of those to an even and desirable thickness.

Making the scale shape-
I glued the two pieces together with a few drops of wood glue and a piece of napkin or tissue in between. I traced the old scales on and used the cooping saw (I suppose one could use a power saw for this but I don’t own a scroll or band saw and I didn't want to use a jig saw for fine work close to my hands) to cut along the outside of the line making sure to keep the blade straight, perpendicular to the wide surface I traced onto. Once I had that rough shape cut out I used course grit sand paper (about 60 or 80) to sand up to the tracing line and taper the edges. Basically I sanded the blocky looking thing I cut out until it looked like scales. After that I just smoothed it out with some finer sand paper, like 120 and 220.

Once I had them looking like scales I measured where the pin holes should go. People use drill presses or maybe you could clamp it steady and use a regular hand drill. I used a 1/16th inch bit in a pin vice to do it by hand. Make sure the hole is straight otherwise the razor will be crooked when you pin it.
Next I separated the halves with a box cutter, prying them apart being careful not to splinter or crack them, and then sanded off whatever paper and glue remained on the inside. I then put on three coats of stain and about 6 or 8 coats of polyurethane.

Pinning-
I used #0 stainless steel washers and 16th inch nickel silver rod. Some hardware stores carry these but not in my neighborhood so I ordered washers from Micro fasteners and the rod from a knife making supplier on line. I forget which one, Jantz supplies or Texas Knife. I already had a jeweler’s block to use as an anvil. I had previously used the side of a tack hammer as an anvil to tighten my pins. The wedge I used was the wedge from the old set of scales that I traced in the beginning.

I hope that's helpful. If not what you need is probably in SRP some where. Everything I did I either learned here or is an adjustment of something learned here.