Thread: scales too thin?

hi people,
I'm really enjoying all the generous information you guys provide here and am starting to have a go restorning some razors... i have a couple of Alfred Williams razors i removed that scales as they were really old and kind of rubbery and not really worth keeping and i want to have a go at making my own, i though the razors would need sanding but attacked then with some 'maas' to start and was amazed at the shine that came up just as well that i didn't start sanding them as i would have scratched them up!! I was wondering whether there is a minimum thickness to the scales on a razor (these seem like small razors..) i wanted to make them from horn, so ordered some blanks and they were 2mm thick is this too narrow for a razor? the others i could have ordered were 5mm which i though would be too thick and i could not find any that were 3mm, so whcih is the best thickness please? i hope i didn't waste my money.. also i only have a fret saw and sandpaper (no power tools and no garage ) i'm sure these first ones will be a learning curve....

I would say common thickness is ~.1", stock for making scales is usually 1/8" thick.

If the razor is rather light, as a 20th century type, the 2mm horn is perfectly ok. If the razors are heavy, sanding down the 5mm horn to about 2.5 to 3mm is in order. To do that, Use a very coarse grit and sand wet at angles so that you are only cutting a small area at a time. Wet sanding reduces the "pong" of the horn!!
Doing the job by hand will improve your understanding of the process and also will be a lot safer for you and the razors, than using power tools.
Have Fun!

I gotta agree with Stephen.. at 2mm = .078 you are running pretty thin, that is about 1/16 of an inch and although there are many of the guys that like very thin scales, most of those are in the new high tech materials ie: G10 or Carbon Fiber..
IIRC it was Brad aka Undream that did a razor in rather thin horn some time back, you might fire him a PM and see if he happened to measure it and if he knows how it held up...

Originally Posted by markhur

hi people,
I'm really enjoying all the generous information you guys provide here and am starting to have a go restorning some razors... i have a couple of Alfred Williams razors i removed that scales as they were really old and kind of rubbery and not really worth keeping and i want to have a go at making my own, i though the razors would need sanding but attacked then with some 'maas' to start and was amazed at the shine that came up just as well that i didn't start sanding them as i would have scratched them up!! I was wondering whether there is a minimum thickness to the scales on a razor (these seem like small razors..) i wanted to make them from horn, so ordered some blanks and they were 2mm thick is this too narrow for a razor? the others i could have ordered were 5mm which i though would be too thick and i could not find any that were 3mm, so whcih is the best thickness please? i hope i didn't waste my money.. also i only have a fret saw and sandpaper (no power tools and no garage ) i'm sure these first ones will be a learning curve....

I saw a number of great replies before mine.

Since you have 2mm blanks I would think that a deeper
scale at the toe end would give you some added strength
so they do not close on the razor when you close it.
Thin should make shaping your wedge easier. Thin is more
fragile so select and use tight washers that make peening the
pivot less risky. lots of light gentle taps...

Try them...

For me, 1/8 is about as thick as I'd want, and I prefer those to be nicely rounded off to give a thinner feel in the hand. I have also used 1/16, which I quite like for a lighter razor.

thanks for all the replies and advice, makes me think 2mm are worth trying, so will try it seeing it can be doable and at least i can go gently without power tools, I'll be sure to post some pictures when done... as long as they aren't to bad - i don't expect to achieve the results i see on here but thank you for all your inspiration

In an old thread there was a remark (Glenn?) that if you can make
scales out of 'Popsicle" sticks or tongue depressors you
are on to something.

If you have the material, try it. If it does have too much flex, it may be a remedied by adding a third pin.

Originally Posted by dirtychrome

If you have the material, try it. If it does have too much flex, it may be a remedied by adding a third pin.

i like that idea, thanks