I make knives in addition to being the source of belgian stones. My suggestion is to avoid aluminum and copper as they're too reactive. Try some titanium instead. It's not expensive on ebay and you can heat color it with a propane torch. It has a nice metal luster and won't react with anything. It goes REALLY NICE with walnut too! Titanium is fairly easy to work with as a metal whether you're grinding, sanding, or drilling it. If you're working it on a Bridgeport, gear down to a slower speed. Oh yes, .125 is 1/8" and that would be fine for a straight razor scale. You'll have to shape the edges to round them off and sandpaper of 80 grit followed by 120, 320 and then buff on a cotton or linen buffing wheel with white and you'll have a beautiful piece. Everybody will have an opinion about the above process but it works for me.


Howard