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I tried my first set of scales a year or so ago and on the point where the blade attaches wound up splitting the wood. I changed tactics and made thicker scales with success but on my last try went back to thinner. Split the scale again:boohoo:at the same spot. I try to be careful but looks like I'm doomed to thicker scales. Any advice out there?
Rich
“All good things arrive unto them that wait – and don’t die in the meantime.” – Mark Twain
How are you splitting the scales? What kind of wood are/did you use? Pics? When you pinned the blade, did you use the washers on the outside of the scales?
When did they split as well? While pinning or during use?
If while pinning it could be that your tolerances are too tight between your pin hole and your pin material causing the split. That can be corrected by drilling out just a bit larger than you have been.
Practice on popsicle sticks, when you can do these you are good to go, meanwhile take your ball peen hammer and tap it on your thumbnail, if it hurts, you are swinging too hard. Type of scale material will be of consideration as well.
How about tongue depressors as practice stock.Quote:
Originally Posted by nun2sharp
Glue a pair together with colored paper of fabric in the middle
in the style of micarta. Dip them in stain then bond
them together. The adult size is 6"x3/4" big enough to
make a set of scales from....
Might also make a reinforcing back for fragile but interesting
wood and perhaps original logo bearing scales with the right adhesive.
Trust me, popsicle sticks are more rewarding!:DQuote:
Originally Posted by niftyshaving
A few things that might help determine the cause is; how thick is the wedge, is it thick enough to cause a lot of stress on the scales?
What type of wood, all woods have different properties, for example, purple heart is known by some to be brittle at times and can split when nailing to wards the edge of a piece. If your inserting a pin into a hole that is a bit tight you may get a similar effect with this wood and split it.
granted I have never worked with purple heart myself and I am far from an expert on wood. This is just from information I have read on line about wood working.
Yes if you can pin popsicle sticks without cracking them youQuote:
Originally Posted by nun2sharp
have learned something that is hard to do. Especially if he
sands them down to half thickness.:)
But they are not likely to cover the blade for storing, stropping,
shaving, finishing, setting the wedge and the rest of the necessary
details that might need practicing.
Some of the cracks might begin in his shaping process....
Simply an inexpensive optional source of thin white birch, sometimes maple or oak stock, nothing more.
Nifty, I was thinking of the ice cream being the reward.
I've had some problems like that in the past. I found it to be one of two causes. One, my wedge was too big for the blade I was using for the straight razor. It caused a lot of tension on the pivot pin and split the scales. Two, I didn't have a spacer between the scales and the blade on the pivot pin. The increased friction on the scales snapped them. Now that I think of it, if you peen the pin too much and tighten the scales too much on the blade it may cause the scales to snap. Hope this may help.
Well since it is cool and damp here I dismissed ice creamQuote:
Originally Posted by nun2sharp
when I half way thought about it.
Speaking of ice cream, I was having problems with splitting my scales also, I found that a ice cream scoop makes the perfect rivet hammer for me. It has a larger area so you can concentrate on tapping the rivet and not worry about hitting the scale. With a small peening hammer I always seemed to hit the scale to many times.
Also I found that if I make the rivet hole just a shade larger, I don't have to worry about the brass rod expanding to much to cause expansion pressure that may result in splitting.
I used washers on the inside and outside. I'm not sure that the wedge was too big. Any guidelines on this?Quote:
When you pinned the blade, did you use the washers on the outside of the scales?
Rich
“Work and play are words used to describe the same thing under differing conditions.” – Mark Twain
[QUOTE][How are you splitting the scales? What kind of wood are/did you use?/QUOTE]
I was using leopardwood.
Rich
“All good things arrive unto them that wait – and don’t die in the meantime.” – Mark Twain
It split during the pinning. I think the pin hole and material are the same. I'm using 1/16" brass rods and drilled the hole with the same size bit.Quote:
When did they split as well? While pinning or during use?
If while pinning it could be that your tolerances are too tight between your pin hole and your pin material causing the split. That can be corrected by drilling out just a bit larger than you have been.
Rich
"There is no native criminal class except Congress,"- Mark Twain
Try lighter taps on the pinning and using less pin stock. The less you have to pin out, the less there is to compress into the scale hole and put the pressure which splits it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard
Thanks for all the help guys. I'll try popsicle sticks (after eating the ice cream of course!)
Rich
“You ought never to take anything that don’t belong to you - if you can not carry it off” – Mark Twain
well this may not be any official source but according to the following supplier, leopardwood has a tendency to splinter (but they may be talking about planing with less than sharp tools and not splitting)...
Leopardwood Hardwood Lumber - Your Best Price at the Highest Quality for your wood working needs from Woodworkers Source