Thread: Scales and where to get custom ones

That is agreat idea!!
I did not even think about that.
We have a Michael's art and craft store near me and they have inexpensive materials.
I'll take a look at their bins behind the store.

Cheers.
Aldo

When in doubt, you can use anything that is hard enough and cut thin enough. I am working on a pair of scales using an old vinyl LP record.Records are dirt cheap and they are already thin enough, you can smooth out the recording ridges or leave them for a textured look.

Wood is great practice also, but if the wood is not stablized then itcan and likely will warp. Still good practice if you get some thin cuts.

I made my own micarta before, and although it can be messy, its a fun experiment. I managed to get a few nice pairs of scales from the mess I made. All it took was some two part epoxy and some construction paper, a few clamps, some wax paper, and a couple large sections of lumber.

Originally Posted by algreye

Hey Darl,
Thank you for that push. I needed it.
It is like should I do it, but I don't know how kind of thing.
I jus bought a drill press ...
Aldo

With a drill press you have the means to make some beautiful scales. I will be posting my method of making scales using the drill press as a thickness sander. I can get wood or other material down below 1/32" and using a micrometer or calibers, I can reproduce the results consistently. Of course you do not want your scales that thin, but if you want to incorporate a liner, you'll need to thin it significantly. Even if you do not use a liner, you can sand your scales to the exact thickness you want without a very expensive dedicated drum sander. Then you can use the sander to begin the rounding over process of the scales saving even more hand sanding. There is no secret to this. Drum sanders for drill presses can be purchased ready made. But with little effort, you can make your own from scraps of plywood and PVC pipe. At any rate, the drill press was a wise investment. Used creatively, you can do so many things with it.

Randy