Thread: Liner question

I have some walnut that I intend on making a set of scales out of. I have them slabbed to .125" x 1" x 6.25".

I was going to use aluminum as the liner. In wandering around Lowes, i came across aluminum flashing material. The flashing measures .009" on my calipers.

Would this be thick enough for liners?

My other thought would be to try to find copper sheeting about .0125" or .025".

I was also going to line the liners with black plastic sheeting (I read where garythepenman uses cheap binder cover material for this purpose.)

What do you experienced scale makers think about this? Am I on the right track?

Thanks,

Ray

I haven't worked with aluminium, but that sounds fine to me. The thickness of brass I use for liners is 0.010" thick, and after sanding to get a clean surface for adhesion, I'm guessing it wears off 0.001" anyway.

The brass liner's I use are 0.005, and they are VERY thin! I then added a second plastic liner to them (which was not necessary). Honestly, I'm not sure how necessary the liners are. My only thought is that if the wood is not stabilized or if you are putting pieces together it acts as a great foundation.

When I had the problem of the liner separating from the wood, I was a little hesitant to reglue them since the wood was fine by itself. The only reason I did wind up gluing them is that I thought the liner's really 'jazzed' up the look of the scales........

C utz

I use 10/1000" thick brass for liners so see no problem with 9/1000" aluminum.

http://razortips.blogspot.com/2006/0...cales-105.html

this may help...

Great tutorial, Bill. I am looking forward to the part where you talk about protecting the brass liners from corrosion, permanently if possible

Thanks guys. I'll give it a go with the stock I have.

Ray

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

Can you get thinner titanium, like 0.01?

What do you mean by reactive? Aside from its flammability when ground fine, what is it about aluminum that would make it a poor choice as a straight razor scale liner?

I guess I can see copper due to the corrosive issue, but avoiding aluminum seems odd to me. But then, I don't make knives OR restore razors...yet