Thread: Working with G 10 for scales.

For some reason I love G10. It's durable and easy to work with. Most of my pocket knives have scales made of it. The first couple of sets i made were done the hard way. I tried to use the scroll saw, then the band saw, it was quite hard on the blade s. Then I hand filed them to final shape. Now I cut the material with a hacksaw with bees wax for lube. Just cut 1 x 6 rectangles. Then draw the shape of your scale and first pin hole. I lay the blade I am replacing the scales on for my pattern. drill first pin hole 1/16 and use a 0-80 1/2 inch screw and nut to hold the scales together. Lay out the wedge pin hole then drill and screw together. Now for the easy part. Carbide burr in a die grinder, I like a half inch cylinder. It makes quick work of the G10. After grinding to shape, I rough the edges in. Th en some final smoothing with a file and finish sanding. Finally polish with a little blue magic polish on your fingertip. I will try to post pics tomorrow. Thanks
P.S. don't forget to wear your respirator. This is mandatory, as fiberglass dust is very bad for your lungs.

Will an ordinary belt sander shape G-10 ??

Originally Posted by Hirlau

Will an ordinary belt sander shape G-10 ??

Yes. But I found it to be a bit hard on my belt. It sands down quick and a coping saw does a pretty quick job cutting it to shape.

Sorry, I may have mis labeled my tool,,,I have a Ryobi "Bench" sander,,,will this be O.K. for shaping G-10?

If you mean this one.

http://www.amazon.com/Factory-Recond.../dp/B001HTRTBQ

Then yes. Even the one with a 1" belt would work it would just take a little more care imo.

It will work but it will wear your abrasives very quickly.

Originally Posted by meleii

If you mean this one.

Factory-Reconditioned Ryobi ZRBD4600 4.3 Amp 4-in Belt and 6-in Disc Sander - Amazon.com

Then yes. Even the one with a 1" belt would work it would just take a little more care imo.

Yes, that's exactly the one

Hirlau I have a 4x36 bench/belt sander similar to the one shown and it works well (and quickly). As already mentioned make sure you use a respirator and maybe even consider some long sleeves. I was shaping some G10 scales yesterday in short sleeves and my forearms itched like hell last night until I figured out what caused it!

Thanks, I always wanted to try G-10, but cutting it was a problem for me, no place for a bandsaw,,,so I'll cut it the way described in the OP & shape it with the sander.

I've made several sets of knife scales with G-10. I did my first razor handle this past weekend. I use a Dremel with cutting, sanding and polishing accessories. I use wet/dry sandpaper in 400 and 1000 grit to finish sanding. I use very fine grit diamond spray for strops to polish. I have not coated the handle I just made with anything. In fact I hadn't even thought about it but now I am. I put pictures of my handle in a thread here. The title is something with G-10 black/blue in it because that's the color G-10 I used. All I had to go by was another handle I had drilled the pins out of and disassembled.

I'd appreciate any info on where to get tips about restoring razors and making handles. Someone on another forum said the spacer should be shaped like a wedge instead of just a flat piece like i used. I sanded a small piece of the 1/8" G-10 thinner and used it as the spacer. He also said the shape or thickness of the tang controls the pivot tension as the blade opens. The idea is for the tension to be tighter when the blade is open during use. I'd like to know more about this kind of stuff. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

Jack