Thread: Bengall

a labor of love.

Originally Posted by Hirlau

a labor of love.

All except that darn wedge!
This is going to drive me nuts until I figure it out...

I gave up on wedges, I just put a nice spacer in the ones I rescale.
Watch those wedges around belt sanders, they toss them all over the place. My first wedge shot off the belt sander, when over the balcony & landed in the grass,,,never found it.

It Was The Orignal One. Made The Scales The Same Thickness As The Originals. (Dial Calipers) So I Don't Understand....

Did you pin the wedge end first ? I always check the pin length to make sure it is not too long in the least. I also start to peen on the down side of the wedge. Maybe it's just dumb luck but I have only had trouble with one. I took it apart and started over and then it went fine. I have also bent one trying to get the wedge snug. Pin was just a hair too long I think. Now if anything I make the pins to short when I file them down flat.

Originally Posted by 10Pups

Did you pin the wedge end first ?

Yes. I did pin that end first.

Originally Posted by 10Pups

I always check the pin length to make sure it is not too long in the least. I also start to peen on the down side of the wedge. Maybe it's just dumb luck but I have only had trouble with one. I took it apart and started over and then it went fine. I have also bent one trying to get the wedge snug. Pin was just a hair too long I think. Now if anything I make the pins to short when I file them down flat.

I don't know what I am doing wrong?
I did make them shorter then I usually do. Maybe I need to go MORE?
Guess I will just have to keep making them and trying stuff.

Thanks for the advice... anything I can try to help speed up my learning curve... LOL

Ed, a nice job! That wood don't like to bend like horn or ivory, IMO. Even if you pin the bottom and get a nice splay from a tapered wedge, the bottom pin will bend as you do the top, same result. Hard wood seems to require an even spacer which is sized to the way you want the blade to sit in the scales. I would just unpin the bottom and make a spacer to fit. OR thin out the wood so it will bend!
Pretty sure!

Fill in the cracks around the wedge with liquid wood,,,,, let dry,,,,, sand a little,,,then tell everyone that it is a new type of exotic wood wedge.

Never wood have thought of that. I haven't ever made that type of scale before. I'll shut up now

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Ed, a nice job! That wood don't like to bend like horn or ivory, IMO. Even if you pin the bottom and get a nice splay from a tapered wedge, the bottom pin will bend as you do the top, same result. Hard wood seems to require an even spacer which is sized to the way you want the blade to sit in the scales. I would just unpin the bottom and make a spacer to fit. OR thin out the wood so it will bend!
Pretty sure!

I "thought" I made them pretty thin as it was... .120 on the wedge end and .091 on the pin end Tapers down the whole way...
I guess that wasn't thin enough..LOL

Looks like it might be "spacers" from now on for wood!

Thanks SO MUCH sharptonn!!!