Thread: Spacer fit?

Hi Gents.
Got a question to you betraying 1) my painfully slow progress to date; and 2) my total newbie status at this again.

Following the link in the stickies about how to makes scales:
- I cut out my scales (Padauk), sanded, etc.
- Cut out my spacer (Yellowheart), shaped it.
- Then glued the spacer to one of the scales as per the link.
- Fit the spacer and sanded so that it lined up perfectly with the two scales.
- I then applied the CA, to the scales (both the scale with the spacer attached, and the "free" scale) inside and out.
- Now, when I go to pin the scales, one of the scales has the spacer perfectly aligned (and sealed to it), but the build up of CA on the inside of the the spacer and the inside of the other scales has caused a slight gap and misalignment.

It just looks weird to have one scale have the spacer fully flush, while the other scale looks like an add on...so, what did I do wrong? I assumed you had to CA inside and out, all of the wood, so how do you get the spacer to look right like on all the restorations in the gallery?

Thanks for the help..."the hardest part is starting."

Mark

Mark,

Take a piece of sandpaper and lay it on a flat surface, then sand off the built-up CA on the inside of the butt joint and on the spacer. When they fit nicely again, reassemble the scales with a dab of superglue in the joint. That'll seal things up nicely. You can also run thin superglue into the crack after assembly. You'll need to do a little cleanup sanding, but it should look nice and trim.

Josh

Thanks, Josh - so the spacer is glued into place on both sides then? What's the point of pinning the spacer then? Aesthetics?

When you say to put a dab of CA in the joint, you mean before they're pinned, or after? Sorry - I understood the second option, but can't quite make out what you mean by the first?

I have to say, I have so much more respect for all of you craftsmen out there who restore these beauties - I had no idea there was so much technique involved and such a steep learning curve! Bravo!

Mark

While the glue holds the spacer in position for assembly, the pin provided the structural support to hold things together. After pinning, the glue helps keep the spacer from drifting. The "dab" he is talking about is in the joint; it will ooze a little when you re-assemble and give you some CA there to sand down flush.

When working with 2pc scales, I'll get a rough shape/fit for the spacer, then glue the scales/spacer together. Next, I pin them taking care not to get to carried away with pressure while drilling (after all, the glue is all that is holding stuff together). After assembling and pinning, I will go back to sanding the final shape to make sure everything is seamless.

I finish up with the final coats of whatever finish I am using (generally CA). That may seem a little backwards, but when buffing out the finish, everything is smooth and flush. The main reason I do it this way is to get the spacer sanded in flush with the scales.


v/r

Allen

Originally Posted by Milton Man

Thanks, Josh - so the spacer is glued into place on both sides then? What's the point of pinning the spacer then? Aesthetics?

When you say to put a dab of CA in the joint, you mean before they're pinned, or after? Sorry - I understood the second option, but can't quite make out what you mean by the first?

I have to say, I have so much more respect for all of you craftsmen out there who restore these beauties - I had no idea there was so much technique involved and such a steep learning curve! Bravo!

Mark

+1 on the structural support
The added strength also help to prevent the blade from being forced through the scales to the other side.

Yeah, super glue won't hold scales together if you put much pressure on the joint. Spreading the scales to insert the blade might pop them apart, or closing the blade... Pins is good.

A lot of the gurus like Bill Ellis and Joe Chandler don't really glue the spacers in. I think your main problem is that you're getting too much glue on the insides of the scales. When I was still doing CA finishes, I would do most of my coats on the outside only. I would then sand down to bare wood on the inside, making sure everything was nice and flat. Then add a few thin coats to the inside of the scales, and you're done. You realy only need one coat to seal the wood. On the outside, the rest are just to give the finish some depth. (Credit goes to Joe C for this approach; he has really perfected this finish.)

Josh

Yeah, I agree with Josh. I never really glue the spacer at all. Usually the pin can be tight enough to fully hold everything in place with no movement. The CA on the inside of the scales I tend to do a lot thinner than on the outside as Josh said. The inside is just to get everything safely sealed.