Thread: Split another scale!

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 againat 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.

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

Practice on posicle 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.

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.

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

How about tongue depressors as practice stock.

Trust me, popsicle sticks are more rewarding!

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.

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

Trust me, popsicle sticks are more rewarding!

Yes if you can pin popsicle sticks without cracking them you
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.