Thread: First set of replacement scales.. Let me have your feedback

And, feel free to be brutal, I'm not sensitive. The only way I will get better is to get critiqued.

These are in Blood Wood. In general, I am not a big fan of wood scales, but I have a huge inventory of hard woods so it's a good place to start. The shape is my own. I just laid the blade out, traced it and worked the lines of the scales around the blade.

My thoughts... Here's the good:

Shape of the scales is very nice, though I bellied the top edge just a little too deep. I really like the long pivot end, and the points don't interfere with stropping. At a snick under 1/8", I think I made them thin enough for a first attempt and can certainly make them thinner.

Ergonomics.. stropping is comfortable. Haven't shaved with them yet, so can't comment.

Opening and closing the blade is super smooth with no high or low spots, so guessing I got the wedge geometry close to correct, though it more luck than skill.

Finish on the scales is rubbed CA. I used to use this technique on other wood working projects. It puts a strong coating on the wood, while letting just a hint of grain come through. I think there are about a dozen coats in and out with light sanding between. To be frank, not knowing how the scales would actually feel in service, I didn't spend as much time on the finish as I could, and I can still go back and work them further.

Now, here's where I think I need to improve:

The wedge. It works. The blade opens and closes smoothly. I used Corian, because of it's density and I wanted a strong contrasting color. With the naked eye it's shape looks decent. But look closer, loupe or lens, and it's a train wreck. There are gaps between the wedge and scales that I deem unacceptable. More on that in a second. I could have shaped it closer to the blade on the top. (truth told, I started shaping these scales for a different blade).

Shaping the scales. I am deducting a few points here. Once assembled, I see that the wedge end of the scales aren't exactly symmetrical. One side is just a touch thicker in the contour on the bottom where it tapers down to the wedge. I would love some tips on how you guys get the sides to be perfect matches. The pivot end scores massive points as they came out symmetrical, smooth and pleasing to my eye. The over all shaping could use a bit more finesse. Those of you do this stuff know that once the finish goes on, all your sins become obvious. There are a few spots where I didn't contour them as well as I would like.

Micro fasteners.. I like that they are easy enough to assemble and disassemble while working on the build-up, but I don't like the feel of them standing proud above the scales. Plus, I ordered from the materials list posted elsewhere in the forum and washers that came are way too large. They are more like pivot bushings. So I scrounged some smaller washers which a visually more pleasing with the screws, but I like the look and feel of pinning better.

My shop tools are large for working in this scale. Table saw, band saw and a 4" bench top belt sander. I think there is a place for these tools when making scales, but not for gentle curves. The band saw is fine, the other tools need to be downsized. I should have spent more time hand sanding. I had originally made the scales a little too thick so went back to the belt sander to thin them down. With the hp and brute force this thing has (I bought it to grind steel), just one lapse in concentration took off a little too much on the inside of the wedge end on one of the scales. Irreversible.

The other lesson I learned (no, I relearned.. I knew, but forgot).. When you are making on set, make three. It's just easier to work production style than one off and if you goof, like I did when thinning the scales, you have an easy fall back.

If I paid for these, I would be pissed. But for a first attempt, I think they are okay. What could I do better, that I haven't already touched on?

...The train wreck

I'm not even going to show you the top side of the wedge.. it's an embarrassment. Fortunately, it's easy to rebuild and replace...

Higher resolution versions of these, plus a few more images are here....