Thanks Chris,

follow up questions:

1) if the liner is that thin, does it actually do anything to prevent warping/twisting of the scales? I suppose it provides some foundation to prevent expansion/contraction which might help stop cracking, but not much else. Maybe something thicker is needed for bone/horn? Maybe nothing can help warping/twisting.

2) How do you judge how much the scales should weigh in relation to the blade to figure out what a good balance should be? Seems like you could make thick scales, or thin scales with a liner, but how do you know what the right weight should be?

- side note; everyone complains about the weight of the scales on the wapienica, but it has never bothered me. Am I just too strong?

Maybe people just want the scales to be as light as possible, so that they really feel like they are only holding the blade?