Thread: First attempt at making scales

Well.. i was looking at my shavett style razor and thought.... why do they have to look so boring? lol

So i figured, for the price that they are worth why not try to rescale it... And for some practice as i have two blades coming in the mail that don't have scales.

I used a Tasmanian oak but after pinning it with a 1/16 brass rod i realized that the wood was slightly too soft so i re-pinned it with a 1/8 hollow rod and it seemed to work. Because of the 1/8 pins it turned out a little different but still doesn't look too bad.

Next time i might need a harder wood or i will need to harden the wood some how (suggestions?)


Revision 1


So i guess i learned a few things during making it and i should have aligned the back pins better but at-least i will know for next time Still looks better then the plastic scales it came with.

Edit: Revision 2 (rounded the edges)


Edit: Revision 3 (Filled the pin holes) I think this is all i'm going to change now lol

I've seen a couple of rescales on shavettes. There is no reason not to. I say do what you want.
I think you did a fine job for your first set. Many first sets don't look that good. What impresses me most is that you learned from the process.
As for hardening wood you could use many commercial woods hardeners, some are even called wood hardeners. I usually use a harder finish that will bond well, like CA or epoxy, if I use a softer wood.

Thanks deighaingeal,

With the hardeners, can you still oil the wood after or will the hardeners give a finish and not need anything else?

Also is there a particular brand you could recommend?

Originally Posted by Brighty83

Well.. i was looking at my shavett style razor and thought.... why do they have to look so boring? lol

....snip....
I used a Tasmanian oak but after pinning it with a 1/16 brass rod i realized that the wood was slightly too soft so i re-pinned it with a 1/8 hollow rod and it seemed to work. Because of the 1/8 pins it turned out a little different but still doesn't look too bad.
....snip...

I like the look of you hollow brass pins... very inventive.

Keep us informed how they hold up for you.
They look like a quick and easy alternative to brass rod.
I see brass tube at the hobby shop all the time.

A big common nail ground to a tapered round punch
would expand the tube just enough to make a tight rivet
like fit on the washer.. The washer can protect your
soft wood.

Some of the water proof clear finishes you find
in the hobby shop and art stores will do wonders.
You can go old school and use spar varnish. Modern
urethane finishes work well. CA (cyanoacrylate) also
works well. Modern epoxy works as do many
spray can finishes. Oil finishes work.... even
mineral oil will keep water out of the wood...

In all cases a couple thin coats with fine sanding
after a full dry time are a good thing.

Any common dining room table finish will work...

BTW: Good job... enjoy and have fun.

Originally Posted by Brighty83

Well.. i was looking at my shavett style razor and thought.... why do they have to look so boring? lol

So i figured, for the price that they are worth why not try to rescale it... And for some practice as i have two blades coming in the mail that don't have scales.

I used a Tasmanian oak but after pinning it with a 1/16 brass rod i realized that the wood was slightly too soft so i re-pinned it with a 1/8 hollow rod and it seemed to work. Because of the 1/8 pins it turned out a little different but still doesn't look too bad.

Next time i might need a harder wood or i will need to harden the wood some how (suggestions?)


Revision 1


So i guess i learned a few things during making it and i should have aligned the back pins better but at-least i will know for next time Still looks better then the plastic scales it came with.

Edit: Revision 2 (rounded the edges)


Edit: Revision 3 (Filled the pin holes) I think this is all i'm going to change now lol

I like the simplicity of your design and how you filled the rivet holes. What really matters is YOUR satisfaction and the fact you had fun making your scales and you learned some cool stuff along way. That's all that matters. If you want to rescale another razor or simply make a set of scales, check out some Cocobolo wood. Word of caution about Cocobolo, the sanding dust from it is very irritating to your sinuses. I turn Cocobolo wood pens on a lathe, I wear a dust masks during sanding. It takes hours for your sinus membranes to settle down after being irritated by Cocobolo wood. However, Cocobolo is a fine wood for objects like pens, razor scales, knife scales, and tool handles. Just watch the sanding dust. Another bunch of cool woods that you might like are: Lacewood, Zebrawood, Bacote, Ironwood, Purpleheart, Osage Orange, Canary wood, Ebony (there are several African species, all of them are awesome woods), and Rosewoods. I only scratched the surface, there are many, many more out there for you to experiment with. If you cut your own wood on the table or band saw, give cutting diagonal grain a try, the results are fun. Go crazy with laminates.

Brighty, the CA finish is nice. I have used it on the last couple of restores, it is fairly easy but also time consuming. I might use some oil on the next one, just to see how it goes.

Originally Posted by Str8Raz0r

Brighty, the CA finish is nice. I have used it on the last couple of restores, it is fairly easy but also time consuming. I might use some oil on the next one, just to see how it goes.

I agree, CA does create a nice and durable finish, but I hate the fumes and when sanding it smooth, the dust is nasty. You can also simply spray on Krylon, Deft, or some other spray on clear coat as well. When I finish my wood turnings such as pens and bowls, a nice shellac is all I use. Inside of bowls, I'll finish up with mineral oil or pure beeswax both which are food safe. You can use a salad bowl finish too.

Originally Posted by niftyshaving

Keep us informed how they hold up for you.
They look like a quick and easy alternative to brass rod.
I see brass tube at the hobby shop all the time.

I have used the same rod in knife handles with out washers and it has held up well with that plus you can get them flush. I have a home made flaring tool that's just the right size to expand the brass.

If you have a small 5mm thick screwdriver you can taper the end on a bench grinder to about 90 degrees and polish it up, if its not polished it gives a horrible look lol

Congrats on a fine job. I agree no reason to keep those original flimsy scales. When running late, not uncommon for me to shave with one.

How is the balance? I did one in g10, and added brass tubing (3 tubes telescoping inside each other) in the hollowed out spine area to provide a little more heft to the blade side. Seems to provide a better feel when shaving with it now too

Its still about the same weight, shame really because it feels like its needs a little more. But it is very sturdy now so that a plus!

Also, before replacing the scales i would hide it as it just looked tacky. now its almost good enough to have on display so that's a plus too.

Great idea about filling the spine, i might look into that!