Thread: Bengall Restoration in progress

Hey all,

This is a Bengall I picked up the other day,

Original post is here. It was Bengall number 2 in the post.

It's my first attempt at cleaning a blade and I sliced my thumb pretty bad. I did not expect it to be so sharp after making efforts to really take the edge off!

Edit: blade was sanded with 120 grit sand paper, then 180, 400, 800, 1200, 1500 and finally 2000 and finishing with a light metal polish.



Anyway, the scales were broken so I had always intended to replace them. I am thinking I will use one of the 2 woods shown here.

I prefer the red but the grain is a bit more dense on the lighter coloured wood. The red is Iron Bark, the yellowish one is Grey Gum, both are hard wood Eucalypts. I took some scraps from a building site I'm working at (we no longer use these woods to build unless specifically requested; these are from the old house frame so they are very hard). I also grabbed some Merbau due its hardness and colour but I don't think it will be suitable due to the number of holes in the wood. I should have grabbed a photo but if you know the wood, you'll know what I mean.

Either way I will probably use the other wood to make the wedge for some contrast.

I just need to find a way to make some even thickness pieces so I can then make the scales... I could sand them back to an even thickness but that would be a lot of work.

I'll keep you posted.

And please let me know if you'd like some wood, there is plenty and I can post for you