Hard to start scales

I am starting my first straight razor project and doing new scales for razor. I have spent hours online and drove around city trying to find supplies for scales and pinning. I live at Finland so materials is not so easy to find to razor projects. So I thought to share my hard start if somebody else is struggling with same problem.

Scales

I got from my co-worker some curly birch for scales but I am saving it for right razor. So I was surfing around internet and found Brisa Knife Supplies Webshop - Home. They supply different kind of knife making supplies and you can get service different languages. Here I ordered some acrylic sheets and blocks for scales and buffer for acrylic.

Washer and pins

This was real tough. I visited different stores at my city and online shops that sells supplies for different model hobbies and jewelry stuff. I got really desperate so many hours of research I decided to order few pinning kits from ebay. For example brass washers was really hard to find and when I found them there was shipping problems etc.

If somebody got some good tips about straight razor supplies at EU or Nordic region I would like to hear them. I even contacted Dovo and they just answered that they don't sell repair parts.

Invisible Edge lists EU prices so I'd imagine that they'd post to Finland.

I bought one of the microbolt kits from them lately to try them out. I cant comment on it since i haven't had the time to try it properly but the ordering process was smooth enough.

They sell both scales and pin kits if i recall.

I buy my horn and bone from eBay (pietra dura) and G10 from masecraft.

Rods ypu can get at nordellknives.com and washers from microfasteners.

Shipping from masecraft is on the expensive side so you should buy quite some when placing an order.

Just keep researching until you find your own best resources. I am in the U.S. and have several knife, wood, etc. resources within 20 minutes drive of me. It was still a chore to put resources together.

I get my washers and rods for pinning from a specialty hardware outlet. Equipment from Harbor Freight. Sand paper and steel wool from the local hardware store. My best resource of CA is from a local hobby and model store. I gathered Elk horn, and Deer horn from my sister in Colorado. I found some woods, like Red Gun, Manzanita, Black Walnut locally. I bought Acrylic Stabilized woods from eBay.

In my experience this a bit specialized and it takes some effort to put your resources together when you first start.

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Originally Posted by KindestCutOfAll

In my experience this a bit specialized and it takes some effort to put your resources together when you first start.

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I can say that where I am from this is really really really rare. I'm not sure I said really more enough :) We have really nice woods like juniper, curly birch, aspen and black alder which all make nice scales. We have own culture of making finnish knives "puukko" and I can use same scale materials as those. Most hard part is to find pinning supplies and Zephyr helped me quite a bit.

Most of my problem is that when nobody else is asking there is no reason for vendors to offer. But I am stocking up right now and getting enough supplies for 20 razor and more. I'm hooked up with local hunters for deer horn and bones.

Don't discount your local sign-writers for acrylic sheet - you could get some off-cuts for nothing if they have some in the bin.

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Originally Posted by Havachat45

Don't discount your local sign-writers for acrylic sheet - you could get some off-cuts for nothing if they have some in the bin.

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Thank you for tip!

I received a beautiful razor recently made by robert williams, and for pins he used a fastener with allen keys for tightening and loosening. Not so traditional but I think its a great idea.

Here we have a seller from the UK who I've purchased Horn blanks from and here's a method I use to make scales without machinery hope you find it helpful. Large Flat Dark Horn Blank Plate 160 x 60 x 4 - 5 mm | eBay

http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...ales-hand.html

You can try MaggardRazors.com he sells the scales, pins washers. Also sells them in "kits". I bought one a month ago and it was all the washers, pins and rod you needed to do about 8-9 razors. (no scales) for about $15.US. I do not know what shipping would be to you.