Thread: Reclaimed redwood for scales?

So I was given a 133 red imp razor. It doesn't have the original scales, it has cheap yellowed plastic scales that I'd like to replace. My dad recently restored an old bench my great grandmother had and discovered that the painted wood seat was redwood and he has several scrap pieces left over. I'm wondering if anybody has opinions on if this reclaimed redwood would be a good material for scales. I'd like to pair it with a brass wedge and pins to really set off the color of the wood. Thoughts?

I can't say, I,m not a big fan of wood scales, but I think just because of the nature of wood and water, that the very dense woods work better, though if stabilized the redwood may ve just fine ,, there are others who will come along with a better idea how they will work. Tc

I just finished a project using oak and I just made sure to seal it up good with shellac (3 coats) followed by wax. I've never used Redwood, but my oak scales came out nice.

We are still using some redwood patio furniture I made in the early '80s. It will last if properly cared for.

Redwood is not a hard wood. I would be very careful about honing. You could easily split the pivot area.

I would recommend using several coats of CA finish to provide some strength to the wood.

Some would use a thin brass liner for the inside of the scales. I would definitely use a thrust bearing and thrust washers.

A liner sounds like a good idea I'll keep that in mind. This is the first set of scales I'm attempting to make and I'm still very new to SR. I haven't seen anything about bearings yet, what is a thrust bearing and are they found at microfasteners??

It is a sleeve you put around the pivot pin and inside the blade's pivot hole. You can get 1/8 od by 1/16 id brass tubes at most hobby stores. The bearing should be no wider than the blade.

Most people make their own thrust washers. You want them to be about .005 in. There are several threads on making washers.

There are also these, they would help a lot in the use of soft woods for scales.
Cut Throat Razor Repair Needs Pins Ø 1 6 Mm | eBay
I know there are a few guys here that use them for fragile scales.

Ah ok, yes I've read about putting sleeves in oversized pivot holes. I kept the washers from the old scales, can I use those or should I get new ones?

RezDog can you explain how those pins differ from standard peened pins?

The pins are likely going to be standard rod. The collars have a tube built into them and will bring the tension from the surface of the scales to the bearing washers. Sharptonn has used them in a few tutorial threads. The one is about MOP scales and highlights how he uses them. I'm on my phone and cannot easily link the thread. It is a more simple process that lining the holes with tubing but will do the same thing.