Thread: Buying new scales

Welcome to SRP!

G10 is a type of fiberglass that's nearly indestructible and requires special equipment to form into scales.

Perhaps you could check out Masecraft as a place to start for scale material, if you want to make your own.

If you want to have someone else make them for you, check out the Classifieds here under Member Services.

ps: and yes, Mad Max is the master of all G10 masters.

Very cool, thanks for the info! Unfortunately I have neither the equipment nor the facilities to make my own scales just yet, so I will have to start by buying them pre-made. I'd love to get into making my own at some point, though. In fact I can even say that I've decided to, just as soon as I find a workshop.

I did notice a few nice (and inexpensive) Dovo scales on ClassicShaving. The TI ones are just too expensive to start with, though. Supporting members would be even better, though, and more unique, so I'll keep my eye on the member services classifieds.

I've already purchased a few decent condition old razors off eBay that I plan to start my training with. I hope to clean up and use the existing scales whenever possible (so I've been buying only ones with intact scales), which leads me to another question: What sorts of compounds do people use/recommend for cleaning scales? i.e. removing the dirt and grime or stains that build up over time?

I don't have a buffing wheel (maybe a future investment), and I know about wet and dry sanding with various grits, but what about just simple cleaning, especially in intricate molded handles? I saw one post that recommended an electric toothbrush and toothpaste! I think I have an old one lying around actually so that's a good place to start. Just curious if there are any other miracle solutions like vinegar or borax. I also bought a tube of MAAS for the blades and someone mentioned this could work on the scales as well.

As far as equipment and facilities to make scales are concerned, you can make them just fine with the use of hand tools in your garage.

Look here

Originally Posted by Ookla

As far as equipment and facilities to make scales are concerned, you can make them just fine with the use of hand tools in your garage.

I don't even have that! Ah the joys of living in an apartment... :P

Originally Posted by chaiguy

I don't even have that! Ah the joys of living in an apartment... :P

I'm a college student in an apartment. I finished a set of scales last night.

Hobby Saw: $5
4oz Hammer: $5
Hand Drill: $10
Sandpaper: $7
Brass Rod: $1
Walnut Sheet: $5
Wire Cutters: $5
Super Glue: $2
Rubber Cement: $4
100ct Washers: $8

You are good to go. A pocket knife helps for cutting the rough shape, but it's not a necessity.

Oh, and I wrote a nice long explanation for another member about how to do the whole thing without tools, and I decided to add it to the wiki here...

I live in an apartment too so I hear where you're coming from. Here's my list of materials I use for restorations:

ball peen hammer, jeweler's anvil, dremel, sandpaper, TI scales from CS, and Dovo pins....that's it.

Yeah, it's not the fancy stuff the pros are using but you know what, it gets those beater razors in shape and onto my face.

Originally Posted by chaiguy

I don't even have that! Ah the joys of living in an apartment... :P

I'm currently working out of an outdoor storage closet off of the patio at my apartment. Shoehorned a small workbench in there and I'm good to go with my dremel & some hand tools. I'm thinking with a little creative shelving I might be able to squeeze a small drill press and a belt sander in there as well. Don't let lack of space hold you back!

Excellent! So there is hope after all!

Just got back from Canadian Tire with my brother in law and picked up a dremel (actually a Mastercraft rotary tool--came with a flexible shaft attachment that will be great for buffing and polishing!), a small pair of side cutters and a file. Will be looking for a 4oz ball peen hammer and some sandpaper, etc tomorrow. The anvil is a good idea too. What about a vice?

@freeman, that's amazing what you've done. A drill press would be great to have.

@DPflaumer, couple q's: what the heck is "walnut sheet" and what sort of hand drill do you use?

Thanks guys!

I buy planks of walnut at a craft store in town, it is 24" x 3" x 1/8", the perfect thickness for scales which is great without machinery to saw it down to size.

And I use a tool from the welding aisle at the hardware store. It looks like a thick aluminum pen and comes with 14 bits or so in varying sizes. But you can pick up a 2 pack of 1/16" drill bits and those work in it. Just be careful about making the hole straight.

Hope that helps, feel free to PM me with any questions you may have on the process I use in my apartment. I don't have an anvil, I just use the hardened steel center of the wire cutters to do the pinning. I used to use a file handle, but my roommate gave the file back to the guy he had borrowed it from.