Thread: scales from 2nd use material?

Hey folks,

I've assembled seven matching friodurs, which I'm converting in to a seven day set. I've been browsing through restorers and even asking some people for estimates, focusing mainly on people who use synthetics. I'm not so crazy about exotic woods and I don't like the idea of bone or horn scales, so, you know, micartas and the like is the next logical step.

But I was thinking that personally I'm a repurposer. Hell, I traded a Merkur DE that was probably trash-bound for a cigar box that will be converted in to the 7-day box. Is there anyone out there making scales from second use materials? Old barn siding or street signs or some such?

(2nd use is either using something for a new purpose after it served its original purpose, like the belt I wear that's made from an old truck innertube, or using the cast-off from one process for another like how oil workers discovered vaseline.)

Thanks,
Dan

Much of the nice walnut and curly maple I use comes from the firewood pile on the side of my parents' house. I've also resawn hardwood flooring and recycled a plexiglass window into scales. Not as far out as your examples, but recycled materials none the less.

I know nothing about working with the stuff, but I bet you could get some sweet scales out of old bowling balls. I got the idea from seeing pens like these. Some look pretty nice!

A few years ago Gary the pen man made some scales from PCboards, it looked very cool. If my memory is working.

Charlie

Your memory is spot on Charlie, and question?? isn't G10 some type of circuit board material??? wasn't that the original use???

I think of G10 as an insulating material. I once had a job in a machine shop making isolation blocks out of a G10 like material. It was an itchy miserable job.

Charlie

Circuit boards are paper micarta I believe.

Have you considered making your own micarta? I don't know how well it fits into your 2nd use ethic, but you could take an old pair of jeans and use polyester resin (fiberglass resin) to saturate pieces of the denim. Clamp a few layers of that together, leave it to cure and voila!
Denim micarta looks very cool:

Home grown "micarta"(picture intensive) - British Blades :: Custom Knife Making

The same technique can be applied to any cloth, and probably a lot of other absorbent materials too.