Thread: scales, pins etc.

Hi Guys, need some advice regarding this as its my first adventure into taking a razor apart and putting new scales onto it.

basically i have a very nice piece of untreated oak that has been sitting around my house for many years, ive been looking at it thinking it would be happier as a set of scales on my razor.

just some questions regarding re-scaling a razor.

- Can i use oak? theres no danger in using it ? as ive read some info on here about certain woods that maybe harmful.

- How do i go about sealing the wood to make sure its not going to absorb water? can i use a boat varnish etc?

- I read a post on here somewhere about using brass rod for pins, i can get brass braising rods (as used in welding) is this ok to use? if not wheres a good place in the UK to get pins from?

cheers for any advice you can offer guys.


Kris

I can't comment on the oak, but try www.maccmodels.co.UK for brass.

i'd only use oak if it were quartersawn and that's not from a wood stability point of view, but because i like the look of the flecks and rays, and at the time that a lot of the razors we all lust after were made, quartersawn oak was widely used as trim in buildings.

go into an old library and notice the woodwork and then look at a modern set of oak cabinets and you'll see what i mean. new stuff is usually flatsawn.

i've made scales with walnut, mahogany, purpleheart and quilted maple. they all worked. some i just sealed with linseed oil, some with tung oil and the last set, walnut for a wostenholm blade, i used ca finish on that and it came out great. only thing about the oak is that it might turn black if it gets wet so it needs to be sealed well. i do a lousy job on finishing because i'm always in a hurry to finish the project.

I've used brazing rod and it works fine. I've used oak it works fine. I've used a handful of finishes and most work fine. Play around and enjoy.

Oak will work just fine, I have done a razor in white oak. Only issue I had was it took more coats of finish. I would coat, sand, coat, sand...took 3-4 coats to get all of the grain to lay flat. You can use tongue oil, varnish, poly, whichever is your favorite finish.

As with any natural product there are variances, but IMO there is much more warmth in a natural material.

Thanks for all the replies regarding this guys its good to know that theres no real problem using oak and brass rods for what i want.

with regards to the brass rods am i correct in saying the pins need to be 1/8" thick? if so is this a suitable item?

Clicky

all i need to-do now is get the wood cut, sit down and start work on it

thanks again everyone.

1/16" it is less common than 1/8" brazing wire, but it does exist. Some razors can take 1/8", but I prefer to make an epoxy bushing then use 1/16"

i've got boatloads of quartersawn white oak, some of it is over 100 yrs old from a reno at our town library and some of it is more recent. be happy to send you some.

Try a gunsmith supply for Birchwood Casey TruOil finish. It's used on gunstocks. Apply a coat, let dry, buff with 000 steel wool, apply another coat, repeat at least 3x. Try to let it dry in a place free of dust. This is a durable, hard, highly water resistant finish.

You don't need quarter sawen oak to get quarter sawen oak. Depending on where your flat sawen oak came from in the tree, you simply use the side grain or maybe an angle cut. Just for the heck of it, take one of your oak cut offs and rip it to the edge at a 45 degree angle. Move the fence over 1/8 inch and rip it again. Lay that sliver down on the table and you should have the rays and flecks of quarter sawen. in a piece you can use for a scale. If you have some thicker oak, just look at the side grain, you may already have some quarter sawen oak you just have to rip off a slice of it.

I like an “oil” finish. One of the easy ones that will seal the wood is WaterLux. I think ACE has it or a Woodcraft store. Real easy, wipe it on with a cloth and let it dry for a day. Repeat until the finish is what you want. I usually use 3 or 4 coats. When done, set it aside for a week or to until it doesn’t smell, then use it.

With any finish, prep is everything. I put some paint thinner on a rag and wipe the wood down before applying finish (to pick up any dust)

An oil finish will not fill the grain. If you want a glass smooth finish, get some spray on poly. Spray on poly is great for scales because you need so little and its so easy.