Thread: Cast aluminum scales?

Now that is seriously cool
The rear scale is amazing

Some really nice scales, gents, thanks for sharing.

I did note that someone posted that aluminium 'was never really popular' and thought it best to point out that this assumption is erroneous.

Although aluminium salts occur in nature (eg alum, which I suppose most of us have used, the metal had be made in a lab using complicated chemical techniques. The first metal was made in 1825, but was impure. Improvements in creating the metal soon followed, but it was still hideously expensive to make, making it more valuable than gold, even in the 1880s.

It was so popular among the upper classes that when Napoleon threw a banqet only the privileged few had aluminium cutlery - lesser guests had to make do with mere gold cutlery.

So, at one time it was very desirable and expensive. Now they make cans and kitchen foil out of it. A sad fate indeed, but one that seems to echo life - in my youth I was desireable and very popular, but look at me now...

Regards,
Neil

Ditto on Neil's explanation why aluminum was popular as a rich man's accessory in the late 19th century. It was exclusive due to the difficulty of extraction. The cap of the the Washington Monument is aluminum because it was more expensive than gold. For a while the cachet as an expensive metal lasted even after the the use of electric furnaces made the metal readily available in the late 19th and early 20th century.

When I said it was never really popular I meant for making razor scales in the 20th century.

You know, when Mr Hall was sitting in chemistry class being told by his professor that anyone who could find a way to extract aluminum from Bauxite instead of from Cryolite would become richer than avarice he decided he would be the one and he was.

Some of us just like the feel of aluminum.

Originally Posted by Bud

Some of us just like the feel of aluminum.

And a cigar cutter to boot!
~Richard

I have several of aluminum. It really does not tarnish easily and is much softer than sterling silver.
I really like the feel of it. Solid, yet light.

I have some I've renewed like Sharpton has done and made some; with a bit of care they are fine. Fine lapping Mylar is best for the tooled scales as it lays flat on the surface of the engraving and does not round it out.

The problem with fabricating the aluminum scales is that they remember every indignity visited upon them during fabrication and so the finishing sandings and polishing can be a very long drawn out process.
Richard
And, yes, the one shown above still had some time of final polishing to go.

Here is one that I made.

Interesting how we seem, once again, to be a fount of info for a seller who asks questions and answers none.