First Restoration and Rescale

[Mr_Spiffy]

I've finally finished my very first restoration and rescale of a straight razor! It's taken a very, very long time to wrap this up. My first attempt ended up in a partial failure. I was working on these scales and discovered that I had somehow not only chipped the blade I was working on restoring, but also cracked the blade about halfway through. No idea how I managed that...

So, I had to start over on the blade restoration using another old razor off of the bay.

Here's what I started with:

To say the least, it wasn't pretty. It had lots of surface rust all over the blade. I ended up sanding it down by hand, and then tried to polish it up just a bit more with my rotary tool. I has more of a matte finish than I'd like, but I don't have the tools to put a mirror finish on a blade, yet.

Post-restoration on the blade:

It still has some minor pitting on both sides of the blade, but the edge cleaned up nicely. And now it's at least shiny.

Then it was on to the scales. I found a nice piece of 1/8" thick bloodwood a the Woodcraft store nearby, and that looked perfect for what I wanted to do. Now, as I mentioned earlier, the scales were originally being made for a different razor. The other razor was slightly shorter, which meant that I had to make my wedge shorter for the longer blade on this Oxford. That part wasn't too bad, as I hadn't glued everything together, yet. I used my rotary tool to sand off a bit of the wedge, which had already been glued to one side of the scales. Then I glued the other side to the wedge to complete the scales. Because the wedge wasn't a perfect fit (due to lack of proper tools and such...), I ended up gluing the scales into one solid piece. They cannot come apart without destroying the scales. But I filled any gaps with some gel-type CA glue, which worked fairly well.

I used a CA glue (super glue) finish, which was a pain to do. I had never used CA glue as a finish before, and I was applying coats that were way too thick. I kept having to sand heavily to even things out, and then kept sanding through the finish. Once I realized I needed to use very thin coats, things went much better. I sanded from 220 grit all the way through 2,000 grit to give the scales a nice, smooth finish. I still, unfortunately, sanded through the CA glue finish on many of the little points on the scales. But that's extremely hard to not do, especially by hand. Then I applied a protective coat of wax, which really made the finish glossy.

CA glue is used as a finish in turning wood pens. It works for scales, too. But it's not quite as easy as something that's nice and round. You have to really try to avoid drips and globs of glue, or you'll end up sticking your fingers to things or having to sand the globs down to the height of the rest of the finish. Debatable whether or not I'd use CA again for another set of scales. I'll have to consider my other options.

Here's the progression of making the scales. I began by cutting out the basic scale shape with a small coping saw. Then I used my rotary tool to do the rough sanding to shape the scales:

The scales were glued together with paper between them to ensure they would both be identical. They were then split apart (which was very easy with the paper in between). Hand-sanding, however made them not identical anymore... oh, well.

After the CA glue and wax finish:

Time to pin! I had never done pinning before, so this was interesting. But it slowly worked out. I used the small peening side of the hammer. I had a little more pin on one side than the other, so the mushroom on each side is a little uneven. But, overall, I'm happy with how it turned out. (FYI, I got the jeweler's hammer at a local rock shop, where they take different stones and make jewelry. They also sell tools and raw stones to do this as a hobby. The hammer is highly-polished, too, so my pin surfaces came out pretty shiny.)

Mocked up for pinning to find out where to drill holes.

Done!

As you might notice, it doesn't center perfectly in the scales. I had to use a washer on one side to help angle the blade. This was largely due to the fact that my original bloodwood stock was warped a bit. It made it very difficult to get the blade centered, especially for a total n00b at restorations and pinning, like myself. But I managed to get it to work. It does not hit the scales when opening or closing, which is the most-important part.

Now, all that's left is to hone it up and take it for a spin around my face! Anyway, just wanted to share. Hope you enjoy the pics! Let me know if anyone has any questions.

 

[Krodor]

Was fun, right? Then it was a success! I think they are great.

One suggestion is to not split them apart until after they are shaped fully and the holes are drilled, preferably with a drill press to ensure they are straight up and down. Then split them, and afterwards never use more than, say, 800 grit paper to make sure they don't deviate much.

Another suggestion you mighta figured out: try putting on a latex glove, dripping ~5-6 drops along the scales and quickly wiping that smooth with your finger. Let dry completely, repeat for 4-5 coats. It will look nasty. Sand smooth with 800 grit paper. Repeat the whole process 3 more times, with last time finishing through 2500 grit+ Flitz. (this comes from a how-to CA scales...on tiny screen right now, can't link to it). When sanding, I've found it best to put the paper face up on a FLAT surface, run a strip of dbl sticky tape on the back of the scales and with my four fingers spread across the back of the scale for even pressure, sand away.

That being said, I like the warm finish of shellac + finishing wax on wood, but that's me.

Great first go at it! Now, don't you have 100 ideas yet to try? It's addicting!

 

[Mr_Spiffy]

It was a fun experience, though very frustrating at times. I learned a lot throughout the process.

I tried using a flat surface to sand on, but I didn't think of the double-sided tape trick. I'll definitely use that next time. It was difficult to keep things even when sanding in my hand.

As for finishing, I read a lot about using CA glue before I began. Some said to use the gel, some said to use liquid. I started with gel, but that just didn't work very well. As it dried, it looked like a crackle finish and made it a pain to sand down. I had to sand the scales back down to wood again and start over using the liquid glue, which worked a LOT better.

Ideas..? I don't have any unique ideas, like I did with this project. But I'd like to try making a set of standard-ish scales, as I know they'll be quite a bit easier than these were. I was a bit ambitious, here. And the scales do have a few tiny flaws. But that's okay! I'm quite happy with how they turned out. Especially for attempt #1. What I really need now are a few tools that can help me out with this type of work. I don't have a band saw, table saw, belt sander, drill press, etc. They're not totally necessary, but I know the sander would help me get a better fit on my wedges. And the saws would help me cut the shapes out more easily. Oh, and that drill press..! Nice, straight holes!

Know how I lined up the holes on this one..? I used brass tubing as a bearing sleeve for the pivot hole, since my 1/16" pin material was too small. The pin slips right through the tubing. So, I fit the razor together through the first hole, then clamped it together gently. I pulled the pin out and ran a 1/16" drill bit right through the tubing and out the opposite scale. Because of how the scales were glued together, and the fact that the wedge wasn't perfect, I didn't have nice, even bending on both sides of the scales. So, I didn't have much of a choice on this one. Had to find a way to make it work.

 

[Krodor]

I use the back of my DMT or a lapped hone as my flat-reference. Making the wedge I find is the hardest part...that little booger is tough to get just the right angle on, and flat enough to not have gaps against the scales. Regardless, make it oversized, sand it to the right angle (you might end up making a couple at first), assemble temporarily and sand it to almost the right size. Once fully permanently assembled, I do final sanding to bring it flush with the scales...another perfect time for a flat-referenced sandpaper, since if you use your fingers, it will round-off funny. It's a slow tedious process that I likely do the wrong way...how do guys get through 4-5 of these in a weekend and make them look so doggone good?

Does this all sound like learning the hard way?

 

[skipnord]

CA comes in thick, medium and thin. Most of the experts say use thick for the first coat, and then medium. On the several I have done, I just used the medium. Available at Rockler and Woodcraft.

 

[Krodor]

I just use the 4-pack superglue for $1.50.

 

[Mr_Spiffy]

I used the thin glue from Woodcraft. I found it much easier to put layers on without causing issues.

Thanks for the advice on wedges, too, Krodor. I'm going to have to make some better attempts next time around. Perhaps make multiple wedges just to see how it comes out the best.

 

[Mr_Spiffy]

After taking a few moments to look over these scales, I think that I'm going to recreate these at some point in the future. Sort of a Dragon Wing Scales 2.0 project. They look pretty good from a distance, but I notice a few flaws in them at which I'd like to take a second crack. Here's what I see:

• Blade isn't centered: This is likely due to a poor wedge, as well as starting with warped stock.
• Finish issues: I know that I've sanded through the CA finish in a few areas, and wouldn't mind another go at it, now that I know more of what I'm doing.
• Uneven pinning: The scales are not pinned evenly. One side is a little bit higher than the other. Probably due to warpage when I started, the imperfect wedge, and lack of attention to detail. Pinning this set was tough. But I want to try it again.
• Scales aren't wide enough: Technically, they do shroud the blade adequately. However, if you push the blade down firmly enough, you can certainly feel the edge of the blade in the narrow spots, which is dangerous. Since I know about it, I'll try to be careful with these. But my fault was in sketching the basic scale shape, and then creating the wing design inside of it instead of around it. Version 2.0 would have wider scales for better protection of one's digits.

Just some thoughts. Feel free to share any constructive criticism or advice you may have. I'd love to do more of these, and any help is appreciated.

 

[craig94yj]

I'm a total noob to straights razors, not even a shave under my belt yet. I have two vintage razors on the way and I have been watching youtube. I can't wait to give it a go. I think you did a very nice job, but you will always be your own worst critic. Just the fact that you basically did it by "hand" makes it a feat in itself. Maybe your new AD will be acquiring tools for the shop. Since I am not educated yet, I derive from the thread that CA is the same as Super Glue?? Can you enlighten me on why that is your choice of finish and the benefits?

 

[Mr_Spiffy]

I appreciate the kind words. Best of luck with your journey into straights! It's exciting and educational. I got into it for several reasons: it's macho and manly, it's traditional rather than "technologically advanced", it teaches me sharpening skills, I'm continuing to develop better left-hand dexterity, and I just really wanted to try it. I think I'll keep them around for a long, long time. I may not use them all the time, but I'll continue to use them periodically.

As for the finish I used, CA stands for cyanoacrylate, or basically super glue. The kind you get from Woodcraft stores tends to be a bit purer, as far as additives go, and more reliable for a good finish. At least that's what I gathered from my reading. I chose it for durability and moisture protection. When I was looking into finishes for scales, I kept reading others stating how a polyurethane finish would look nice, but break down more quickly than CA glue. I don't know if that's true, but that's why I chose it over polyurethane.

 

[tomjr]

not bad at all 4 your first (of many). and it is such FUN !!!!!!!!!!!!! tom

 

[seattleshaver]

Nice work! I just made my first and second set of scales as well. It's fun to follow the discussion in this thread since I can really identify with all of the issues involved!

I used shellac and wax and used double-sided tape to keep the wood blanks together through the sanding process. I also have only hand tools (except for one random orbiter sander which I used only to even out some of my rough initial hand sanding). I've had some issues with drilled holes not being as straight up and down as I had thought.

I also drill the holes early into the process and stick brass rods though the holes just to help with alignment after I remove the double sided tape. I cut the wedge oversized and glue one side into the scale and then put everything together temporarily and sand it to size while attached to the scales. This makes it easy to get a good fit (at least along the outer edges).

I find (hand) sanding the wedge to be one of the harder parts as well. Regarding the pins being a bit long sometimes. I just cut them close and peen enough to make sure the outer washers aren't going to fall off and then to get the pin shorter (and the fit tighter) I just file it down a bit and peen again and just keep repeating this until it is a tight as you want it.

I had to redo my first attempt as I completely glued the wedge in without putting in the blade. I figured I could put in the blade later which I could as far as the pin and outside washers...I could put the inside washers in this way however

I also made the wedge too wide initially and didn't polish the scales (wood) with a high enough grit to really make it look polished. I took things apart and sanded it down and basically started over.

Now I've made a second set of scales as well. The first one uses Black Walnut and the second uses Spalted Sugar Maple. I lightly rub the wood with lemon oil when I first get the blanks, after cutting (coping saw) and sanding I use several coats of shellac and then finish over that with wood wax. It results in a semi-glossy rather than glossy finish.

I don't have the tools to easily end up with a mirror polish on my blades either (and would like to) and I still have a bit of a learning curve regarding really getting a smooth finish to my hand sanding of the scales.

I did learn the trick however of early on in the process to put the sandpaper face up and holding the scales together sand the edges that way. When hand sanding just holding the scales in my hand I learned a trick from Youtube as well which is to use a rectangular pencil erases block and wrap the sandpaper around that. It keeps the sanding somewhat consistent.

It is fun however.