Thread: Want Feedback on Scales

Happily grinding away (literally sometimes) in my shop here lately. Feels good to be back restoring blades and scales again!

My latest project (among many others) is a French blade that was in need of healing that also had a set of unusable scales. After sanding and buffing away rust, stains, and pits, the blade is now close to being done. Then the issue of scales arose... A French blade with sort of a unique shape needed scales, and I wanted to create a set that was not only unique, but that fit the lines of the blade itself. So I went with what I saw in the blade, and tried to keep it as simple as possible while complimenting the lines of the metal. Here's what I came up with below. It's not yet complete (still have a micro-fastener holding the pivot pin end together, the end with the spacer needs better domed washers, and there's still many coats of beeswax to apply), but hope you can get the idea that I'm going for here. I also hope the indentations near the pivot pin area help the user hang onto the blade better when shaving.

The scales are ebony (the kind with a little grain and not the Gabon stuff that has sawdust that looks like black chalk dust). Also used a lead spacer and the pins will be all nickel/silver with domed stainless washers. Not much more simple that that. The scales have a radical curve or two and some unique bends near the pivot pin that you can see in the 4th photo.

Please let me know if you think this combo makes sense, and if the scales match the feel of the blade. Once it's done, I'll likely shave with it for a week and then pop it into the BST section here for someone else to own. But if it's just way too smooth, I'll hang onto it and depart with something else. I have way too many blades to ever use them all in this lifetime and my wife has decided it's time to seriously thin the herd - by about 700 blades. So I decided to have some fun while thinning the herd.

So, please take a look and let me know if this is on the right track for that blade, or, it's something I should use on something else.

ADDED NOTE: Sorry gents!! I thought I was posting this in The Workshop. Too late and too tired to be posting. No matter, you're mostly the same guys so the feedback should be the same.

I will say that it is different. As far as the scales being thinner in the middle and thick at the toe, I'm not too sure how well it will feel in the hand while stropping or shaving, but you just don't know till you try.
Ebony is a very strong wood. Good luck with what you got going there. Hope someone with more experience will chime in and give you some good input. I'm just not the guy for it.

THose are funky looking scales. I think they are visually quite appealing.

My only concern might be the weight distribution. Where is the balance point?

Personally, I think that you are on the right track with the design you show. I don't care for the thinning on the bottom of the scales and do like the showing of the shoulder of the blade on the top. Your scales are similar style to the "gunstock" style that is a way of thinning the area of the scales that gives the guiding fingers a lesser spacing between while shaving.
See how you prefer those scales to others you may have.
If you like the design and it works for you...Enjoy!
JMO
~Richard

Thanks gents. I was a bit concerned about the balance point as well, and that's why the lead wedge. It balances out where all other blades do, so that part is OK. I guess the combination of the lead and having the meat of the scales toward the toe helps that part. Now I'm concerned about the appearance and whether or not it compliments the lines of the blade. Also it has to be comfortable to use but I won't know that until it's finished. More work to do on this so we'll see how it shapes up by next week.

Richard you're spot on about gunstock scales! This is somewhat similar to the plastic scales on a French blade I had years ago but just couldn't get used to the gunstock design that one had - too thin and the balance point was off by too far to use normally. This one is wider and thicker so I'm hoping it'll handle better. That one was just over a quarter inch all the way from pivot pin to toe and simply ran along the tang and edge - and then curved up along the toe itself. Strange and interesting but way too thin. Trying to stick with that idea but make it heavy enough to be comfortable as well. Any other observations welcomed - this one is fun.

I like "Form" and the more different and interesting "Form" out there more power to you


BUT

The function should always come first, to me the idea of intentionally weakening the scales at a stress point where the tang sits is simply counterintuitive to the way my brain functions...


It is, however, your razor and your time so if it makes you happy who really cares, but you did ask for opinion


Ps: to clarify I have seen double notched scales on vintage, and Rifle stock scales are on vintage also, I have always thought they made for a structually weaker design, the razors however were at least 50 years old so there is that

That's input I'm looking for! I left a good chink of ebony around the pivot pin just for that reason. Ebony seems like it'll handle the strain, but if not, I'll try Lignum Vitae. I figure if it's tough enough to use for all bearings it should work here as well. But I agree that with SRs, function has to be primary. This blade is French so I just assume form is more important to as long as it still can function. We'll see. Thanks!