My workmanship? Or the material?

Ok, I need some help diagnosing this problem. I built these scales last week and just shaved with the razor today. About 3/4 of the way through my shave, I heard a crack and looked down to see that scale cracked by the pivot. I switched razors and then took apart the original one, to place it back into the old set of scales. When I took it off, the scales had also cracked by the spacer. Both cracks were at the pin hole. The thickness of each area was 1/8 of an inch.

Ive never had a set of my scales crack and just wondering if there was a reason that I am unaware of in the making of scales that could cause this. Or is it just that the scale material is too brittle ( they were made of Recon Stone from Masecraft). I'd love to hear from some restorers on this.

I've never worked with recon stone, it could be a problem material.
What size did you drill the pin holes?

Based on what I see it looks like pretty brittle material that needs to be supported; either that or you pinned it way too tight but I don't think that's the case... If u like the material but need it to be more durable try gluing it the a piece of .03" G10. That will give it some back bone and flexibility.

You cannot use Recon stone for scales. It is insanely brittle. It has no flexibility. take a piece in your hands and attempt to break it in half - it will do so with almost no effort.

Recon stone should be reserved for wedges - and if you do use it, make sure to drill out the hole larger than necessary.

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Originally Posted by Undream

You cannot use Recon stone for scales. It is insanely brittle. It has no flexibility. take a piece in your hands and attempt to break it in half - it will do so with almost no effort.

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You could probably be good with panels with a backing, like MOP, right?