Thread: Manzaneta scales

I hope you realized I was just joking around, John!

Of course!

As it turns out I just made contact with my great grandfather's son, he's looking to see if there are any straights at their farm More on the other thread...

Do you think a hairline crack will be properly sealed with a hard oil finnish? I'll get some pics up soon, I've just been to busy at work lately to get much done...

Try this: http://www.lg-outdoors.com/proddetail.asp?prod=17426

If it is a hairline crack you can fill it by putting on CA then sanding immediately. The glue and saw dust will make a color matched fill. It is a cool trick for hairline cracks. For bigger cracks a slow setting epoxy mixed with fine sanding dust makes a good fill. Sand on some scrap, save the dust and mix into a stiff paste with the epoxy. An artist pallet knife or automotive feeler gauges make good tools for getting the epoxy to fill the void. You can use vinegar to clean up wet epoxy, acetone (cheap nail polish remover) is an even a better solvent for epoxy. Epoxy can also be colored with dry pigments, or even good quality acrylics such a Golden. It seems a lot of times a crack looks better shaded black or very dark brown, better to accentuate the flaw then try to hide it.

Charlie

Manzaneta wood should be an interesting treatment. Sources say it is notoriously hard to cure, bleaches in the sun, and can be prone to crack against the grain but seems to be long lasting.

I have heard that Snakewood and Packwood are two of the most long lasting woods recommended for scales; that bone outlasts horn; but I suppose the odd chance of re-scaling in a decade or two will not be beyond a Dwarf -they live for centuries.

I guess I'll just have to give it a shot. I don't want to use sanding dust as this piece of wood has multiple colors on it. The other slabs have only red wood to them so I'll start off with them.