I'm not on the SF as much these days....business calls but I always look for your threads Grumpy.

This is a great project! Looking forward to seeing the end result.

Thanks for posting this.

Finally getting around to making some scales out of some of this.


We’ll see

That's coming along nicely.

Push stick.

quote:

Originally posted by Some Shot:
Push stick.

That's what the fingers are for.... once!

This is coming along nicely and can't wait to see the finished product.

Cool. I'd never heard the word micarta, nor scales (when referring to handle sides) until I started watching Forged in Fire, but this stuff looks interesting and like a fun hobby.

quote:

Originally posted by Some Shot:
Push stick.

You are all correct but for Forum photo purposes I’d need a 3rd hand as the one that holds the push stick is holding the camera....
What I need is to make a zero clearance top for my bandsaw for small parts like this.



It’s out of the clamps and I cut the excess away and began the shaping of the handle.
Give a few minutes & I’ll get some “after” pics posted.

That's coming along great, good work!

Will soon be opening some SA Oktoberfest I bet.

Well, here it is.
It’s both a success & a failure.
It turned out fine but it’s not the effect I’d hoped for.
It appears I needed more pressure in the mold to compress the scratch pad.
As it is I can take it as a learning experience as my first interaction with making & shaping Micarta.













I also got the forward pin to close to the edge.

Helluva first try, though.

Nicely done, Grumpy.

quote:

Originally posted by GrumpyBiker:
What I need is to make a zero clearance top for my bandsaw for small parts like this.

Yep, most of the better hobbies and trades require you to make tools, forms, molds, everything from scratch, because it has never been done before. I need to make more custom sanding blocks and clamping blocks.

At luthier school they spend the first month learning . . . how to properly sharpen their chisels. We're talking really sharp.

Watchmakers, to pass the ultimate test, have to mate their own tools before making all of the 300+ parts that go into the watch.

Great effort! And you can always cut the rivets out and start over. I cringe at removing a freshly glued violin top just because it is a millimeter off ... but have done it more than twice. Once a neck had to be removed as well, a real pain in the ass. But I discovered new measuring techniques with angles and projected height, stuff the luthier forum is not using.

I use this program here to get greater perspective on heights, lengths, and angles, when I have two of the three:

http://www.magafor.com/841/uk.htm

Looks great!

Why do you say you need more pressure in the mold?

Woodman-
I decided to go quick & easy as I’m in the middle of these projects.
I have some Lexan from another project & decided to use it to make an auxiliary zero clearance top for my little benchtop bandsaw.
Double sided tape to keep it in place.









6Gun-
I was hoping to get more of the bright blue of the scratch pad on the surface.
But I didn’t squeeze out enough of the resin for that to occur.
Added to that the resin I used is an amber color so looking thru it you won’t see the bright color I was hoping for.
I just placed an order for clear setting resin and I’ll try again this coming week when it arrives.

Lexan is great around the shop. I have several bits salvaged from the Linens n Things closing that come in handy for jig parts.

Thanks for sharing it all.

Layers in the layered Micarta didn’t turn out very distinctive but I think when the clear casting resin I ordered arrives (Tuesday) I’ll try again .
Perhaps minus the amber tint the layers will pop a little more.














Still, for a first attempt I’m not to disappointed.
I mean I opens beer caps and fills the hand better than without any scales..

Looks great!

The band saw top is neat. I work pretty close with a Zona hand saw but keep my distance with power tools.

Lexan is neat stuff. A friend has a 2'x4' sheet of quarter-inch high impact Lexan in his garage I've been trying to get for ages. Even though neither of us has an immediate use for it.

Here's how close my little Zona hand saw will cut without nicking adjacent wood.

I love my Japanese razor saws.
Best thing for hand cut dovetails and flush cutting plugs & dowels.
Sadly, not much tool crossover though from my woodworking shop to the Blacksmithing setup .

Clear resin arrived & I got it in the mold yesterday.
It popped right out after a few blows from a rubber mallet.

It certainly is clear & because so it’s much more blue than the previous batch.

quote:

I love my Japanese razor saws.
Best thing for hand cut dovetails and flush cutting plugs & dowels.

Zona social media reached out to me about their flush-cut saws after my blog post on Zona hobby products. Something about resting a blade against 140-year-old varnished wood had me leery. I'll shave the bushing flat - finally bought a Lie-Nielsen chisel to go with my Buck.Bros blades - then touch up with indiscriminately-pigmented spirit varnish.

The scales are coming out great! Who needs quilting, when you can lock your memories in a finely-made knife handle or bottle opener!