Thought I'd give it a go!

BraveBlades

BraveBlades

Joined
Saturday September 7, 2013
Location
Cambs UK
Being very new to straight razors - (I bought one of UKRob's a couple weeks ago) I have well and truly been bitten by the bug. So much so I have bought a few old ones from ebay and i was pleased with a few of the blades (not got to grips or the equipment to sharpen them yet) however their scales were tatty or clearly very badly replaced.So............

I saw a funky sheet of Acrylic (fluorescent) on ebay and thought it would be worth a shot.
It arrived this morning and i was extremely impressed with the way the light shines through the edges
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so I set about it with a design roughly based on the set i bought from UKRob (as i love the shape)
well i had bought a router bit for my dremmel to do the cutting - bad move chipped and was cutting with a mind of its own.
Plan B was a junior hacksaw, cut nice and straight with considerable ease. so i followed the advice of a youtube video i saw and used double sided tape stuck 2 pieces together and set to work cutting out the shape.

A little work with a file to get an accurate shape
i then took a grinding attachment on the dremmel and knocked a small chamfer in the outside edges.

Break out the wet and dry paper and work up the grades 240 up to 1200.
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i was extremely pleased with the results so far. Its difficult to show the way the light catches it but take a look and let me know what you think.
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I'm not going to give you any advice. You obviously don't need it. For a first attempt the scales are excellent. I look forward to your pinning. When I first got involved with scale making and restoration I took my lead from Jamie, I think you are ahead of us both at this stage.
 
UKRob said:
I'm not going to give you any advice. You obviously don't need it. For a first attempt the scales are excellent. I look forward to your pinning. When I first got involved with scale making and restoration I took my lead from Jamie, I think you are ahead of us both at this stage.
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well now you have me feeling a little guilty, i opted for some pre-made pins to start with. Although I have a fair amount of experience with riviting (Aircraft Tech by trade) i just thought i'd take the shortcut on the first set. (i got them from a guy in germany, not arrived yet! but they look fancy heads) these

I appreciate your comments as i hold your work in high regard(I fell in love with the scales on the razor i bought from you) - i thought my efforts came out well for a few hours, a junior hacksaw, a file and some wet and dry. i was looking for opinions regarding colours for a wedge.....

do you think sticking with the same material or something contrasting would be the way to go?
 
Don't use the same material for the wedge, it's the contrast that makes or breaks it. Also make sure it is wedge shaped not straight otherwise you'll regret it.
 
UKRob said:
Don't use the same material for the wedge, it's the contrast that makes or breaks it. Also make sure it is wedge shaped not straight otherwise you'll regret it.
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excellent - a little affirmation on my thoughts! I love contrast. not sure what the hell i'm gonna use for it, but I wanted to double check my thoughts. Thanks for the wedge advice too (i had seen several people mention it before and was planning on it - but advice is appreciated regardless)

Out of interest what do you think of those premade pins i linked ?
 
Yeah i presume so, although i will have to enlarge the holes on the scales as the collars appear to be 2.2mm sleeves - he suggests hammering them in, but i think that would probably shatter the acrylic in this case.
A Little tinkering should see me right :)

Gairdner said:
Somebody's got a bit of talent, eh? Great stuff!
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Thanks - finally found a use for some of the hand skills i was taught when i did my trade training (incidentally acrylic is a lot quicker to work than mild steel block :) )
 
One thing to bear in mind, if you haven't already, is to use a mask when dealing with this or any other kind of scale material. It's probably OK without when you're using wet & dry paper (wet that is), but when it comes to a dremel or dry paper, use the mask.
 
UKRob said:
One thing to bear in mind, if you haven't already, is to use a mask when dealing with this or any other kind of scale material. It's probably OK without when you're using wet & dry paper (wet that is), but when it comes to a dremel or dry paper, use the mask.
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Yeah - safety first! Nothing worse than a lungful of dust!
 
suppose i'd better repost this (looks like the site went down and has been restored from a slightly earlier backup)

I finally finished my first set of scales, I learned a great deal in the process of making these. They are not perfect but I'm pretty happy with them for a first attempt.
20131002_210248.jpg

the blade needs honing (I'm sending to UkRob as i dont have the hones or skill yet)
Solingen Blade
I love the way the light catches the scales
20131002_205848.jpg


comments are welcome :s
 
BraveBlades said:
any ideas regarding what i should make the wedge out of would be welcome too.
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I have used brass plate, brass pipe sawn and hammered flat, old unusable silver spoons found at flea markets and uh, and well that's about all I've used for wedges before. For pins I've cut out my own washers from either brass or hammered silver and either used brass rod or hammered and filed silver pins.

The washers are pretty easy to make. Cut a hole the size you need for your pin in a plate of brass, drill a bunch of them and nip out around the hole. Give a piece of the same size rod as the hole a whack on its end and the rough cut washers will stay on the rod. Chuck up the other end in a drill or lathe and file the rough cuts round, polish and you have washers. Just nip out a piece of pin as you need it and you're in business.

Regards

Chasmo
 
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