Not so much a step by step as building the general scale is the same as any other. The difference lies in not having a wedge. In my attempt to duplicate the original scales on a Reynolds I'm building I though a couple of shots might be nice.
The biggest thing to watch for is the distance from the end of the blade to where the wedge and pins will fall. If you have a scale you're copying it's pretty much straight forward as this one was.
If not it's not difficult to first establish the hinge pin, lay the blade in place and then mark the sweep of the tip of the blade on the inside of one of the scales. Then add a bit for clearance and you can pick almost any point then for the pin.
Once you have one scale marked you just transfer those marks to the opposite scale.
I happened to use a file to mark the very edge of what is essentially half of the wedge. File the inside of the scale to establish the depth to allow clearance for the blade. One note is that the top of the scale where the blade will enter is slightly wider than the bottom of the scale. So you basically have to file the inside of the scale at an angle to allow clearance for the blade.
Once this is done you need to make the "wedge" with the raised portion that is left at the end of the scale.
You can simply lay a piece of sand paper on a flat surface , lay the end of the scale on it, and gradually sand while raising the tip of the scale to create a slight bevel. Don't go crazy with the sanding as the other scale will make up half the wedge effect.
You can , as you go along, put the two halves together and see just how much the very tips ( pin end) splay apart.
One note of caution. You must keep these surfaces parallel or the scales will be off kilter at the opposite ends which will affect how the blade swings and may end up hitting one or the other scale as it tries to close.
Also,, since the inside of the scales are now filed/ground away, you need to pay attention to the surfaces of the hinge area. I kept these parallel to the surfaces of what will be the wedge. Doing this keeps the scales parallel in all aspects and allows the blade to center perfectly.
In these shots you can see the original scales that are being duplicated. See how each scale has half of what would be the wedge.
Also note how the inside of the scales aren't ground out evenly across the surface. The top edge , where the blade enters , is cut a bit deeper than the bottom side. It almost creates a wedge shape through the depth of the scale to accommodate the blade.
The biggest thing to watch for is the distance from the end of the blade to where the wedge and pins will fall. If you have a scale you're copying it's pretty much straight forward as this one was.
If not it's not difficult to first establish the hinge pin, lay the blade in place and then mark the sweep of the tip of the blade on the inside of one of the scales. Then add a bit for clearance and you can pick almost any point then for the pin.
Once you have one scale marked you just transfer those marks to the opposite scale.
I happened to use a file to mark the very edge of what is essentially half of the wedge. File the inside of the scale to establish the depth to allow clearance for the blade. One note is that the top of the scale where the blade will enter is slightly wider than the bottom of the scale. So you basically have to file the inside of the scale at an angle to allow clearance for the blade.
Once this is done you need to make the "wedge" with the raised portion that is left at the end of the scale.
You can simply lay a piece of sand paper on a flat surface , lay the end of the scale on it, and gradually sand while raising the tip of the scale to create a slight bevel. Don't go crazy with the sanding as the other scale will make up half the wedge effect.
You can , as you go along, put the two halves together and see just how much the very tips ( pin end) splay apart.
One note of caution. You must keep these surfaces parallel or the scales will be off kilter at the opposite ends which will affect how the blade swings and may end up hitting one or the other scale as it tries to close.
Also,, since the inside of the scales are now filed/ground away, you need to pay attention to the surfaces of the hinge area. I kept these parallel to the surfaces of what will be the wedge. Doing this keeps the scales parallel in all aspects and allows the blade to center perfectly.
In these shots you can see the original scales that are being duplicated. See how each scale has half of what would be the wedge.
Also note how the inside of the scales aren't ground out evenly across the surface. The top edge , where the blade enters , is cut a bit deeper than the bottom side. It almost creates a wedge shape through the depth of the scale to accommodate the blade.
