Thread: Scale joinery experiment

Another eBay razor, the scales were pretty much toast so, what the heck, I decided to experiment on them. This time an old Shepherd warranted, before:



I wanted to try a simple dovetail joint to see if I could construct a new end to the broken scale, so I flattened the break, cut out the dovetail, and cut a new piece of horn to match tight. It held pretty well on its own, and the joint was filled with CA glue. Here's some progress and after pics. It really ain't pretty, but I liked the old scales.



Unfortunately I cracked the joint a little from too much sanding pressure , but some glue seems to have stabilized it.






Has anyone done something like this and had success? Any thoughts on the long-term stability? I really love how this one came out (A Razors Tale: Shepherd Warranted Stub Tail) so after all the work I'm debating just building a new set anyway. But it was fun to tinker, thought I'd share.

I haven't seen this exact idea, which is a really good one BTW

There was a guy a few years back that mated some Celluloid scales and some wood scales in a similar fashion to make a Hybrid version that came out rather nice too... I will try and find the link but it is buried in here some place...

I like what you came up with on this, creating a mechanical lock should give it strengh...

I really like that idea, you did a great job.

Charlie

Can you tell that Charlie and I are both looking at this in a custom kind of way, and not only as a repair option

Haha yeah, I was actually thinking of that when i did it. It should be great for joining dissimilar materials. Maybe I'll play around with it some more.

Okay - i'll try not to be too vague,,..... i cannot remember his name right at the moment, but there is a custom knifemaker in the States who makes mostly Kitchen knives and became famous a couple of years ago for his contrasting wooden hilts. He uses two different woods and joins them, usually with a S Curve type joint, not a dovetail, and they look lovely. i'll try and remember to look up his name when i get home. i want to say Michael Rader, but i may be wrong. {so apologies to both him and the correct person if i misremebered}.
Regards,
Adam

Looks decent, and most of all, looks authentic. I like it, so I'm envious and angry.

Thats clever, looks kind of neat. Bet you see some custom scales done like that in the near future.

Jeff

Originally Posted by ScienceGuy

Haha yeah, I was actually thinking of that when i did it. It should be great for joining dissimilar materials. Maybe I'll play around with it some more.

I agree, bone or similar applied at both ends of the scales would look pretty classy if done nicely. Hang on you have got me going! what about using a jig saw pattern? A curved interlock would be less angular, in fact why not expand the method to make scales from scratch?
Mother of pearl and Abalone can be difficult to find in large pieces, joining smaller sections with a dovetail or jig saw interlock with a thin liner on the back might just look SEXY!

I need to do a re-scale, you've given me some ideas. look nice with high contrast color woods. Like danish walnut and birch.