Thread: What type of wood

...is best suited for making scales for my cheap Gold Dollar razor.
And what finish should I go for?
Thanks

Wood scales are normally done with exotic hard woods. I customized a Gold Dollar as one of my first projects into the restoring learning and used acrylic. You can use just about any hardwood you want. Its your razor.


Dont look like a GD anymore so i left the china stamp on it. Didnt want it to get confused with a good razor. Ha.

I use woods like Zebra wood, Purple heart, Cocobola, Podack, Mahogany and Lacewood. I treat with Danish oil before assembly to protect from moisture.

I like figured Walnut and Maple. Another member made some beautiful scales from African Blackwood. It really depends on the look/color you're going for.

Do you have the tools/supplies needed already? If not you'll end up spending more on the scales than the razor when you could have just bought a nice shave ready razor from the buy/sell/trade section.
If you are wanting to make scales as a hobby the GD is as good a way to practice as any!

If you decide to use any spalted or burl woods it HAS to be stabilized or your scales will be extremely weak and difficult to work with.

Also, the best finish will depend on the wood and desired look. Some woods are good with a simple oil/wax finish. Some may be better with a lacquer or a polished CA glue finish.

For a gold dollar?

Plywood.

so far ive made razor scales with cocobolo, granadillo, osage, purpleheart, desert ironwood, hickory, walnut, ipe, rosewood, maple, bocote, olivewood, and a couple others. the olivewood was a bit soft, but the rest worked just fine. I like either a tung oil finish, or a tru-oil finish on knife handles, and so just used those for the razors, and they seem to be doing well.

while I think the plywood was a joke, I think that could actually look kind of cool! depending on the piece of plywood that you pick out, and if you were to stain it before you seal it up, it could look a lot like that stabilized wood you see on a lot of cheap knives, only cooler I think. possibly a dark stain from home depot, and you would get a line between the layers from the glue. and since its layered, it should be plenty strong and stable. and if you really wanted to get creative, maybe use an old piece of plywood, and keep the nails and use them as your pins :}

Originally Posted by caltoncutlery

while I think the plywood was a joke, I think that could actually look kind cool!

Ok, how about OSB?

Originally Posted by Utopian

For a gold dollar?

Plywood.

Darn, beat me to it!! I was going to say pine.

I was going to suggest tongue depressors....