Thread: Scale polishing - a little help please?

I fell hard into the straight razor world a little over a year ago and ive recently taken the added plunge into trying to make new scales now and can use some help/knowledge/insight from any experienced makers please.

my question is this… how do you NOT get small particles of compound caused by a final buffing/polishing in between the scales and wedge? its noticeable whenever I use a transparent or translucent scale material and drives me nuts yet I cant figure out how to avoid it. I sand the scales + wedge down to their final seamless shape but if i then do a final polish on the buffer I get the tiny unwanted particles mentioned above. and if i sand the scales + wedge down to their final seamless shape and instead take everything apart to do a final polish separately (thus avoiding the unwanted particles) the pieces don’t perfectly (re)align seamlessly any longer since polishing separately – instead of together – rounds the inner edges just ever so slightly and im back to going nuts again.

is the answer that I cant use the wheel for this last step? and if so, what materials do I need to use to buff out all the scratches and polish the scales + wedge to its final, smooth finish without any unwanted ‘travelers’?

thank you all in advance for any information or solutions you can provide.
-s.

Throw a tiny strip of masking tape over the seams before you fire up the buffer. Just a thought..

Glad to hear you've started making scales, I would guess the transparent/translucent material is some sort of acrylic or the like? I've always shaped, sanded and polished scales by hand and it has worked well for me. I use Mothers polish, a rag and elbow grease for the final polishing. Good luck and add some pictures if you can.

thanks for the tip MW! ill give it a shot.

xiaotuzi - i thought mothers was only to be used on metals. not acrylics, micarta or horn. thanks for the advice ill give it a shot.

There are many metal polishes that work on plastics too. I tend to use mothers, flitz, or blue magic for metals. No particular preference, just which ever is closest when I need it. Flitz also makes a plastic polish that I like a lot.

As far as buffing the scales and getting stuff in the wedge. That's just how it goes. I used to ca glue them shut before final sanding and polishing, but I don't like that now because it's easy to glue them slightly off center. I have only made one set with clear acrylic and I just made sure to use my polish sparingly. Rub a little on the scales towards to pivot and polish down towards the wedge. It'll be mostly absorbed by the wheel by the time you get down there. However there's still likely going to be some residue getting good in there.

I'm also curious what others do to prevent this. Good question.

I just polish away and then use hot water and a toothbrush to remove any residue. Dry them off and you are done.

Originally Posted by sloanwinters

xiaotuzi - i thought mothers was only to be used on metals. not acrylics, micarta or horn. thanks for the advice ill give it a shot.

I meant Mothers Plastic Polish, works well on acrylics and horn, haven't tried it on micarta.

Final polish with Novus, Plastic Polish and a paper towel wrapped around a wooden coffee stir stick.

Novus is designed for plastic, comes in 3 grades of grit and is not expensive. A dab, goes a long way. I use with paper towels and buff with micro-fiber.

Works on metal also, great for polishing out scratches in safety glasses.

I always have trouble with compound getting around the pins and collars. I probably load too much, though.

The last few I have done, once I got everything aligned and pinned up exactly the way I wanted them, I put a drop of Hot Stuff thin CA in the tiny crack between scale and wedge. The capillary action pulls the water-thin glue in. I clamp it good and tight overnight. Once the wedge/scale junction has been hand-sanded and shaped to my liking, I do a final buff on a loose cotton wheel with Fabuluster, then scrape off any residue with acetone on a rag, q-tips, etc. That's great for horn or wood, but I don't think you want the acetone on your acrylic.

Maybe the aforementioned metal or plastic polishes with some good old-fashioned elbow grease and a rag are your best option, followed by Chevhead's hot water and toothbrush. It seems everyone discovers what works best for them. I wish I could spend a day in their shops with each of these guys working on razors-think what you'd learn!