Scale Painting and Finish
I have a few projects coming in the mail and I'm trying to come up with ideas for scales. I have one idea that I can't figure a way to do without painting the scales. I'm curious if anyone's used paint and what they finished with to protect them.
I was going to use spray paint, then some clear spray enamel before doing a CA finish (12 coats, 400 grit every 4 layers, on the last coat work up to about 1500 grit and buff). Will the CA interact poorly with the spray enamel? Is the CA going to protect the wood and paint well enough? What's a good, cheap wood to work with? I'm thinking oak since I might be able to snag some scrap from the lumber yard for free. I don't see a reason to use anything fancy since it'll be covered.
Also, because I want the design to be symmetrical, the plan is to cut and sand both scales, then prime, then temporarily pin them together with twist ties or something so I can have the painted designs meet perfectly. Afterwards I can separate them for the enamel and finishing.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts or suggestions. This is my first restoration and it's pretty ambitious, so keep an eye out for a sweet looking razor or a complete disaster. :D