Thread: Scale sanding/shaping tip

I looked around a bit and didn't see this posted here, but I'm sure that I'm not the 1st one to do this.

Using aluminum foil in between the scales during the shaping/sanding process;

I had been using rubber cement, waiting 15 minutes for it to get tacky, then clamping them together for a few hours.
After really trying to contour some wood scales I found that the line between the scales when they're glued together gets (for a lack of a better term) "lost".
The simple answer? glue something between the scales to make the line more visible. Aluminum foil is the only thing I've tried, but it works well. It doesn't affect the process at all, is just thick enough to make the seam visible, and is easily peeled off when you split the scales.

Using totally flat foil and waiting 15 minutes for the rubber cement to set a bit seems to work best. I tried slightly crumpled foil and wet cement and neither worked very well.

That's it. Pretty simple really, but I hope it helps somebody.

Huh !!!! thats a good idea, I know some of the guys use paper but I never did... I am going to try it on the next set of scales.....

a hot glue gun works better it dosent take but 2 minutes to set

Good thinking! Norm Abrams (New Yankee Workshop) does something similar when turning half spindles. He glues them together with a piece of paper in between. After turning, he splits them apart and scrapes off the bits of paper. If aluminum foil is working for you, there's no reason to stop.

This is what I love about this place! A great exchange of great ideas! I use rubber cement and paper my self. I will try foil and a glue gun for grins & giggles.

Not sure why you would do that. I use double stick tape to tape my blanks together, cut the shape and sand to contour. Then I run them over a small router to round the edges and a light hand sand for the final prep. Split them apart, a quick rub to roll the inside edges with a little 400 grit and finish them.