Thread: Interesting scale material

I was poking around on regretsy today and somehow ended up on etsy. Then I found a razor with a circuit board for scales. Upcycled Straight Razor Cattaraugus Cutlery Co by subetealabici

It actually looks pretty cool but my limited experience with circuit boards is that they tend to be a bit fragile. Have any of you fine folks ever tried this? It seems like it would work with a thin coat of epoxy or sealant of some kind for added durability...

It has already been done several times. Here's one from Dirtychrome. I have seen others but can't find the links.
It's actually a very sturdy, tough material. Most circuit boards today are made of FR-4 (Woven glass and epoxy).

Well now then, don't I feel silly. And darn it if Dirtychrome's doesn't look about 378x better than the one I saw on etsy. Not that I'm surprised that something on etsy is a bit rough in the final fit and finish...

Yes, with the metals of the board including copper, you want it fully sealed. Trim solder tips down as tight to the board you as you can. I coated the one noted above in epoxy resin. Both inboard and outside of scales. After many coats, sanded and contoured to how I felt feels good in hand.

At a glance, on mine, those solder points appear would be sharp in hand, but they are completely encased. The finish if very smooth, and feels nice in hand.

They end up being a heavier material. Even at that, and with the light blade, it balances before the pivot, but not by much.

bharner,

IIRC FR-4 is the 'flame retardant' version of G-10, so should make some good tough scales

Have fun !

Best regards

Russ