Thread: Star Spangled Rodgers

Great work from All here, as usual!

This razor is (once again) the result of working with what I have. It has been a fun project.
I got the scales with the top broken off on one side. I was intrigued with the stars inlaid into the ivory, so I decided to shorten them and use a shortened blade. In figuring out how these tiny stars were imbedded, I called on Neil Miller and Pixelfixed who both concur that somehow the maker carved the star shapes into the ivory and the stars were inlayed. I had to remove 5 of the stars as 3 were even with and above the pivot on the unbroken scale and 2 were where the new pivot hole was to be. It took a lot of digging and prying to pop them loose. I saved 4 and one went flying, who knows where! I was bent on applying one above the pivot hole at the top as I finished, but decided that there was not room enough and inlaying tiny stars into ivory is just not in my resume.
The shortened Smith blade I had intended on using proved too wide, so I went to my pile and found this 5/8 Rodgers blade which was quite long in design. After cutting and reshaping the scales and filing the wedge down as close to the bottom pin as I dared, I took 3/16 off the end of the blade and reshaped it, just like it was originally. Everything mocked up nicely, so I sized and annealed a new pin and proceeded to pin it up collarless.
I got the top peened tightly and the peens close to the bottom ones this time, so I must be getting better!
So now I have a nice star-studded little shaver with 2 1/2 long bevel! ...............Tom

That looks so cool. Great work. Beautiful blade and scales.

.........I just looked outside & I swear there's another star in the sky that wasn't there last night.

That is beautiful! Great work with the stars.

That looks wonderfull,great job.Inlay work to me is a major artform,one I have always failed at
One project I did long ago was a lady had a magnificent Ivory jewelry box with an inlayed dragon in silver,part of the dragons tail went missing.
All the inlay carving was undercut at the edges so I think the silver was carefully tapped in place,maybe silver can be annealed to make it real soft,dunno.
I called a dentist friend of mine and got some silver amalgum (SP) from him,pressed it into the area and worked it in just like he fills cavitys,worked like a charm.
Great work on the razor,great save.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

That looks wonderfull,great job.Inlay work to me is a major artform,one I have always failed at

I dunno, Bill! Sounds like you did well on that project! It is nice to call upon you where ivory is concerned. I appreciate your advise!
I wish we had a time machine to go back and sit at these people's workbenches for a day! The blade which came in these scales was a "Sheffield" with no "England", so I suppose before 1891. Impressive workmanship!
Thanks, Tom

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

That looks wonderfull,great job.Inlay work to me is a major artform,one I have always failed at
One project I did long ago was a lady had a magnificent Ivory jewelry box with an inlayed dragon in silver,part of the dragons tail went missing.
All the inlay carving was undercut at the edges so I think the silver was carefully tapped in place,maybe silver can be annealed to make it real soft,dunno.
I called a dentist friend of mine and got some silver amalgum (SP) from him,pressed it into the area and worked it in just like he fills cavitys,worked like a charm.
Great work on the razor,great save.

Silver gets very soft when annealed, Pixelfixed. When they decorate gunstocks, etc, they undercut the carving, then get a ribbon of silver wire that is as wide as the top of the cut and stands a bit prouder, then hammer it - it is soft enough to expand into the undercut. If you can't get the right profile from a jewellers supply depot, you can make your own by pulling it thorough a steel drawplate, pulling it through gradually diminishing cut outs in the plate. As it is pulled it becomes work hardened, so before it goes into the next aperture it is heated cherry red again and cooled, or it would snap.

I have a draw plate with star apertures in it, incidentally. I have inlaid before using annealed wire, too - you drill a small hole, use a graver to carve the star shape at the top of the hole, insert the annealed wire and hammer it. It fills the hole you carved and you file it down until it is flush with the surface. I was making a set of black horn scales for a friend once using this process. I only had three stars to go and the damn scale cracked. It's a delicate operation!

Regards,
Neil

Wonderful save, what a beauty.

Bob

Originally Posted by Hirlau

.........I just looked outside & I swear there's another star in the sky that wasn't there last night.

Why THANKS, Hirlau! You say the nicest things!.........(usually!) I appreciate that!

Originally Posted by EisenFaust

That is beautiful! Great work with the stars.

Cannot take credit for the stars! That was done ages ago! Thanks!

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Why THANKS, Hirlau! You say the nicest things!.........(usually!) I appreciate that!

I will have to admit Tom, when I took the binoculars out to look at that new star in the sky; one of the little points was bent to h*ll.