Step by step metal scales...the insane way

[John C]

As promised, I'll take ya'll through a step by step process that I go through when making metal scales.
I'm not going to go into the pattern making process at this time. That's a whole nother kettle of fish. :001_rolle

This project is for a client here in OKC. The blade will be a nice medium sized W&B.

First at look at the bench. You can see in the first pic. the assorted impliments of distruction. The primary one being the bench pin that is fastened to the front of the bench. The bench pin is used for steading the work while I am cutting it.

The second pic. show a jewellers saw and and a tube of saw blades. The saw blades that I will be using for this project are size 7/0. Most jewellers saws are pretty much the same. The important thing is the distance from the saw blade to the back of the frame. This is called the throat of the saw frame. Saw frames are measured and named by that distance.
You will want to pick a frame that lets the project move freely in 360 degrees while cutting. They make frames in sizes from 3" thru 11". I will be using a 6" saw frame for this project. Note the larger a saw frame that you use, the harder it is to control the cut and the more stress is put on the saw blade, thus makeing it easier to break the blade. So you always want to use the smallest frame possible when making your cuts.

The third pic. shows some of the needle files that we will be using later on in the process. The important thing in this picture is the small tube of "Bur Life".
This is a blade lubricant that is manually applied to the saw blade from time to time while you are cutting the metal. It helps to keep the blade from binding and breaking when cutting, and also helps to smooth out your cuts.

The fourth pic shows the actual pattern that we are going to make as well as the size of a 7/0 saw blade. There are two drill bits in the photo as well. The larger one is a #67 and the smaller one is a #74. These are the two primary sizes of drill bits that I use when drilling the starting holes in the metal. The 7/0 blade will fit through both of these holes just fine and will serve as a starting point for me to make the different cuts in the metal. btw. a #67 drill bit is the same diameter as a piece of 20 gauge wire, handy to know if you want to make small rivits :001_smile

The fifth pic show the basic sheetmetal stock from which I will be cutting out the patterns. The material for this project will be nickle.


buckle up boys and girls it just gets more fun from here. :w00t:

[Harvitz81]

Subscribed! :w00t:

I can't wait to see how this is done, though it is something that I never even want to attempt.

I'm truly amazed at the skill of some people on here.

[professorchaos]

Also subscribed. Of all the skills I've seen demonstrated here, what you do with metal scales is one of the most amazing.

[John C]

Getting started!! :w00t:

In pic. 6 you will see that I have already sized and printed the patterns for both sides of the scales that I will be making. I measured and cut the pieces from the nickle plate that you saw in the previous picture. I use a small piece of masking tape to hold the paper patterns in place. I then tilt up the pattern and apply spray adhiesive to the metal and then seat the pattern into place.

I will be using the paper pattern as my guide while I cut the pattern. That is why it is really important that you scan and save any origional work in the computer first. Unless you are just doing a one time piece.

In pic 7, I have used a sharpened nail for a center punch and have placed a starting punch in several of the background areas that I will be cutting out later.

In pic 8 you will see the end of the flexshaft drill that I use to drill my holes. I greatly recommend the adjustable chuck type of hand piece over a fixed collet type of handpiece. The picture shows a #67 drill bit, but after looking at the size of some of the holes that needed to be drilled I switched it out to the smaller drill bit.

In pic. 9, you can see the holes that have been drilled into the background, to give me a starting place to make the individual cuts.

In pic. 10, I have inserted the saw blade through the first hole in the pattern. The saw blades only have teeth on one side and the blades only cut on the down stroke of the blade. So make sure that you insert the blade in the correct way into the frame. Once the blade is secured in the bottom part of the frame, you then slide the blade through the starting hole in the pattern. Then brace the sawframe against the bench and place the frame under a small amout of tension and set the blade in the top lug of the frame, and tighten it down. The saw, now properly tensioned is ready to cut the metal.

see....isn't this fun!!

[John C]

Ok...

In pic 11, you will see the sawframe and blade properly tensioned with the project in place to be cut. Remember what I said about sizing the frame, here is a visual of that idea. I will be able to turn the metal in any direction that I need to in order to make the interior cuts that will be required.

Pic 12 shows the proper hand placement when sawing a project. One hand holding the metal and moving it when nessary during cutting and the other hand working the saw in a smooth up and down direction.

Pic 13, It's a bit hard to see, but if you will look to the bottom most starting hole, you can see where I made the inital cut to the corner of the pattern, and made my first turn and the blade is now in the process of cutting down the line on the nose of the scale. Now comes the tedious part....follow the line and don't stray too much. I will follow the line cutting just to the outside of the line all the way around the space that I'm attempting to remove.

Pic 14, Here is the cut away piece of nickle. You can clearly see in the cut away piece, the starting hole and the initial cut that was made to the edge of the pattern. Now then, once the piece of metal has been cut away, you simply loosen the top lug of the saw frame and remove the saw blade from the top of the frame. Slide the scale off of the blade and then reinsert it into the next starting hole in the pattern.

and now I'll repeat that process untill I've cut out one entire scale. Oh btw, this is just the top plate of the scale, I'll be soldering it to a bottom plate later on in the process so that we will be able to put some enamel into this project. :w00t:

thanks to my oldest daughter Mikala who took some of the last pics in this process. She has been comming to the shop after school and learning how to do some jewellry work, so I enlisted her help. :thumbup1:

[Toff]

Subscribed!
I am enjoying this treatise on basic bench work. Too few know how to properly use hand tools. Often those tools are faster than a machine or an electric powered alternative.
Thank you!
Respectfully
~Richard
PS. That bench pin is a razor restorer's best friend!

[Legion]

This is cool! I can't wait to see the finished product.

[impulseballer]

wow this is nuts. wish i had that kind of free time.

[BillEllis]

That's what I'm talkin' about! Dandy dandy dandy! Thanks for doing it.

I'm sure you got a whole group of guys sayin', "Holy crow! I had no idea it was done that way!"

[Jsteele]

WOW... :tongue_sm
I cannot answer for anyone else on this forum,but i am truly grateful for the knowledge/step by step tutorials that people like you and Bill are so graciously willing to share with us. Thank you John.. :thumbup1:

[maxman]

I have subscribed too.
I find this just fascinating. I would have given up before I started.

[sffone]

John C, thank you for taking the time to share this with us. You do incredible work!

[sffone]

wow this is nuts. wish i had that kind of free time.

I think each of us finds the time to do that which is important to us.

[ambrose]

GEEZZZZ!!! :w00t: Fantastic !

[rambus007]

I have been looking forward to learning more about your art a long time. Thank you John!

[Sullybob]

Another subscriber.

Thanks for doing this John.

[netsurfr]

nice work! I have been following every thread that you start about your work. subscribing too.

[D-Rock]

Where do you pick up your tools?

[grump]

Subscribed!

[John C]

Thanks guys, glad ya'll are enjoying this.
I've got an update pic for later this evening. I got half of one scale cut today.


Where do you pick up your tools?

A little here, and a little there. Some of my tools are homemade. (those are the best) I get quite a bit of my tools from Rio Grande. You can look them up online.

A note here. If you are interested in doing this type of work, I would recommend that you pick up the book: The Complete Metalsmith by Tim McCreight.

[DaveMartell]

This is crazy and I LOVE it! Keep it coming and thanks! :thumbup1:

[John C]

here's the update pic from today.
You'll notice that there is going to be a lot of fine line cutting in these scales.
This is where the bench pin is *absolutely* critical.
As I cut in and out of the curves, I cut close one side or the other of the interior V notch in the pin. As I cut, the just cut sections slide onto the surface of the pin. This give support to cut metal, and helps to prevent the saw from bending and chewing up the metal as I cut it. At this stage of the process, the top plate is *very* thin and very fragile, and it won't take much to twist it up into a pile of glorious scrap.
Also the cuts on the wings of the skull were a bit smaller than antisipated, so I ended up moving down to an 8/0 blade. 8/0 is the smallest blade that is currently made, and the stupid things have an issue of breaking even under the tension of the saw frame. If ya'll try this remember the golden rule of saw blades....ya buys 'em by the dozen cuz ya breaks 'em by the dozen....:w00t:

(Egads...I'm starting to sound windy...I'm not sure if I can put up with me untill the end of this experiment...:001_rolle)

[impulseballer]

man i would definitely have gone laser lol...but the workmanship is amazing

[John C]

man i would definitely have gone laser lol...but the workmanship is amazing

lol...I understand..however, a sawframe cost $15, a laser is Whole Lot more...:w00t:

[honed]

I can't thank you enough for doing this step-by-step guide!

I always enjoy pics of a good shop & your's is just :drool:

And it was both intimidating & very fascinating to see that you basically use stuff that everyone can easily find, a drill, a saw, a home-made benchpin.
And all you "power" the tools with is two ordinary-looking hands.

Yes, I think what you are doing is insane, in the best possible meaning of the word :thumbup:

[John C]

here's an update pic for today.
I've gotten this scale cut and about half of the other scale cut.
Tomorrow, I'll be doing a bit of chase work and probably some soldering.

enjoy!

[highball]

Amazing work John, thanks for sharing this

[Toff]

..snip
I get quite a bit of my tools from Rio Grande. You can look them up online.
A note here. If you are interested in doing this type of work, I would recommend that you pick up the book: The Complete Metalsmith by Tim McCreight.
Thank you John, for the book recommendation and this thread.

That book, composed from many years experience, is probably the best current book on the market; not cheap but worth every dollar! Not only for metal working but almost any process used for razor restoration is covered.

We recommended it to all taking "Art Metals" in the university where I worked as a studio assistant. It may save its own price in a few restorations; if nothing else just by preventing common errors. My copy is at my bench along with the "Machinists' Handbook." Both are great references when I go to do something I have not done in a while.
Respectfully
~Richard

[Zephyr]

You're right, that is truly the insane way :blink:

Great work :thumbup:

[John C]

Thanks for all the great responses guys!
Here's todays installment.

I've cut both of the top plates and now I'm going to be chasing in some rough detail lines to use as a guide later on in the process.
You will see the chasing hammer, scale, anvil, and chasing tool. I know that the small piece of tool steel doesn't look like an anvil, but that's how we're gonna use it. Besides, having a huge anvil just to tap on a scale would look rather silly. :blink:
The end of the chasing tool (ie. transformed screwdriver) is not perfectly flat across the bottom. It actually has a small angle filed into it and the sides have been modified as well.
Chasing is done by lightly hitting the chasing tool with the hammer to produce a mark or continious line in the metal. Chasing a line into metal means to beat a line into the metal. No material is removed in the chasing process. Engraving a line into metal, means to *cut* or remove material in order to get the same line. I'll be doing some engraving later on.

In the second picture you will see a beter view of the end of the chasing tool. You can also see that I've used the lines on the pattern as a guide to help with the chassing marks. I use chasing in order to leave a bit of the pattern on the metal, so that when I take the paper patern off of the project here in another step or so, I will still be able to tell where the pattern is, in order to engrave it in better detail later.

In the last pic in the post, you will see that i've removed the paper pattern from the metal, and have fixed on of the bench pins onto the end of the bench in order to help me with the filing. I've selected two different sizes of half round needle files to help me with the filing of the interior of the pattern.
You can also see where the chase marks are in the skull for later on.
This is going to be another tricky part of the project. In this part, any place on the interior of the pattern that didn't get cut correctly are now going to have to be filed with the needle files. Luckily there are too many. When filing a metal project make sure to fully support as much of the work as you can on the pin so that the file don't twist and mangle the pattern.

[John C]

Ok, I now have chased and filed both of the scales.
Now I am going to choose a piece of 20 guage nickle for the backing plates for these scales.

I'm going to cut two pieces of 20 ga. nickle off of the main sheet for the backplates, then I'm going to take both of them to the buffer to put a bit of texture on them.
I'm going to use a course steel buffing wheel and using all the appropriate PPE, I'm going to put a course stain finish onto the back plates. I'm going to texture both sides.

The last pic in this post show the textured back plates and the scales that go with them. The reason that I choose to texture the back plates is to help give the solder a bit of an advantage when I go to solder the two plates togeather.


(ya'll still with me, I haven't put too many of you to sleep yet...:001_tt2:)

[John C]

Soldering.......
Ok, there are several ways to do soldering. One of them is with an iron, other ways include different types of gas torches.
Because I have a fairly large surface area, and because I can get better control, I will be using an iron to solder this project together. For the record, yes, I do have a couple of different types of gas torches, no you can't see them at this time....:001_tt2:
The solder I will be using is a very easy silver bearing solder.
In the first picture you will see the solder, top and bottom plates of the scales, the bottle of liquid flux, and the soldering iron.
The soldering will be done on the hot pad ( the white block in the middle of the pic). Start by applying the flux to the back plate with a small brush. Then place the top plate on the back plate. When the iron is hot enough to heat the metal, touch the iron to the top plate of the scale. Very gently touch the solder to the edge of the top plate where it meets the bottom plate. When it is hot enough the metal will liquify the solder and capilary action will wick the solder inbetween the two plates. Now just solder the entire top plate to the bottom plate without making a huge mess.

The second picture shows the top and bottom plate soldered together. The dark areas are where the flux burned a bit. I'll be cleaning that out later.

well, enough for today..... now I think I need to go beat people with sticks...

[hitemfrank]

Excellent John.

You've earned the right to beat people with sticks.

[maxman]

This beats watching L.A ink or American Chopper any day.
A lot less annoying people and much better work.

[John C]

Today I did some fit, finish and detail work.
The first picture shows both of the scales taped togeather with masking tape, and a basic flat medium cut file. As you can tell, I have already cut the scales away from the 20 ga. base plate. I have also removed any excess solder from the top plate with small rotary abrasive wheel.
I am now going to take the flat file and file the scales true to the edges, as well as true to themselves.

After I have matched and trued the edges of the scales, I will drill the pin holes. I normally wouldn't have included a pic of the drilling process, except that I managed to break the drill bit off in the scales when I was drilling them.
So, I thought that I would show ya'll, that stuff happens to all of us. :001_rolle

I am now going to polish the scales out. Different scales can be polished out different ways, but with this set, I'm going to be a bit more careful and use small grit wheels instead of the large buffing wheel. The third picture shows some of the solid craytex/synthetic wheels that I will use to smooth and polish the edges of the scales.
The fourth picture shows the radial type polishing wheels that I will be using for the main finishing of the scales. The wheels are just like sand paper and come in different grits. They start at the left with the yellow wheel and progress through to the light green at the far lower right. The light green is a 1 micron final polish. These wheels are awesome, a bit pricey, but they are absolute magic on nonferris metals, esp. sterling.

I will give a final light polish to the scales on the smaller buffing wheel. This one goes up to 9,000 rpm. It has a footpedal control, and I've loaded it up with a 3" hard felt wheel using ZAM. What you don't see is the mason jar that I use for a cold water dip while I'm using this process.

next step....engraving

[John C]

Ok, I've got both scales polished out and ready for final engraving details.

I use an older model GRS Gravemeister for pneumatic assistance with my engraving. The gravemeister is basically a small compressor with an output modulator on the front of it. A small air hose runs to the hand piece that you see in the picture. Inside the handpiece is a small spring and piston. The compressor puts out little puffs of air at about 1200 pufs per minute. I have a foot pedal that I use in order to engage the handpiece. The more I step on the footpedal the harder the impact in the handpiece. The rate of impacts remains the same.
I use a basic square graver or 90 degree graver for my work. The face of the graver is honed to a 45 degree angle with two facets on the underside of the face set at 15 degrees each.

I'm sorry, but I just realised that I forgot to get a picture of my optivisior that I use to help me with the engraving. The optivisor is a head visior that has a magnifiying lens mounted in it. I tend to use a #4 lense in mine, which I think is a bit over 2x.

You can see in the first picture, the handpiece and graver, as well as one of the scales in the engravers ball vise. An engravers ball vise is a handy little vise that is about the size of a cannon ball, and weights anywhere from 20 - 30 pounds. The round bottom end of the vise sits in that little rubber wheel so that i can piviot the vise when I need/want to. The vise is also split along it's "equator" or the center of the vise. The top have spins freely 360 degrees on a set of bearings. This vise has a friction break in it so that i can freely move the vise as I need to but it won't spin freely.

The only part of this pattern that will need engraving is the skull and wings portion of the pattern.

The second picture show the finished pattern with the details engraved and portions of the wings shadded.

next.....color...

[Toff]

Nice work! Bye the way, Harbor Freight has 1/16th"/1.5mm drill bits for a pittance in packs of ten:
Here (http://www.harborfreight.com/1-16-inch-high-speed-steel-titanium-nitride-drill-bits-10-pack-93076.html?utm_term=93076&utm_medium=cse&utm_source=googlebase&hft_adv=15000)
And they have packs of small mm drills for cheap also. I hope you have a store near you!
Thanks for the thread! 5*
Respectfully
~Richard

[Legion]

This is looking pretty sweet! It's been fun checking the progress every few days too.

[honed]

It was awesome to begin with & it just keeps getting better!

Might one ask where you have aquired those skills?

[impulseballer]

absolutely gorgeous

[Aussieshaver]

I was going to wait until you had finished before I commented, but I couldnt resist thankyou for taking the time to document your progress/work. It is really fantastic and I wish I had half of your skill!

[John C]

Sorry about the long wait, but between stuff at work and the stupid weather, it's been a bit of a challenge.

I got both of the scales enamelled and got the whole thing finished.
Here is a quick finished shot of the project.
I'm working on matching plates for a strop to go with this project and I'll have some better pics in a few days of the whole get up.

The blade is a W&B, the wedge is black acrylic and the pins and washers are brass.

enjoy!

[sffone]

Absolutely amazing! Almost unbelievable!

[Pkrankow]

WOW!:w00t::thumbup:
Phil

[breadstick]

Amazing work. I showed this to my wife and she literally gasped when she saw it (and again after I showed her how you made it). You, sir, are a true craftsman.

[Toff]

Thank you! Awesome!
Respectfully
~Richard

[Neurotopia]

Holy f*****g s**t. That is amazing!

[hitemfrank]

^^^ Yep. That pretty much sums it up.

[BillEllis]

I'd love to know what they are going to say about this razor on the shaving forums 100 years from now. Even if a person stands in front of a machine and has his facial hair "scanned" off in the future, you just know "somebody" will want to preserve the tradition of removing hair with a straight razor. That's what I believe, anyway... and I'm stickin' to it.

[honed]

Sorry about the long wait, but between stuff at work and the stupid weather, it's been a bit of a challenge.

I got both of the scales enamelled and got the whole thing finished.
Here is a quick finished shot of the project.
I'm working on matching plates for a strop to go with this project and I'll have some better pics in a few days of the whole get up.

The blade is a W&B, the wedge is black acrylic and the pins and washers are brass.

enjoy!
:001_tt1::001_tt1::001_tt1::001_tt1::001_tt1:

:thumbup: <-Symbolizes loss for words for describing these scales & the work that was put into them.

[brothers]

Gentlemen, today was a very good day, and here's why: one of the other B&B members has asked about a certain brick and morter shop here in my hometown, and all I had was an address, so I went looking.

I went to the Farmers' Market, and the first thing that immediately caught my eye was in the display window of one of the shops, a few pucks of shaving soap. That's a good sign, right? I looked up, and here's the sign: Wetshaving supplies! Whoa! I went inside, where the friendly owner greeted me, and invited me to take a look around. There were handmade strops, some MamaBears shaving soaps, some mugs, and a lot of beautiful jewelry and other items for sale.

The owner was sitting at his workbench, and he mentioned straight razors, and my ears perked right up. He invited me to check out the display cabinets along the wall. Having followed these threads closely, I immediately recognized some very finely detailed scales, beautifully made, and I KNEW what I was looking at, because the style is unique.

I thought to myself, as he spoke about the razors, and I asked him if he was familiar with Badger and Blade, knowing full well what his answer was going to be. He said oh, yes, I know about B&B. We introduced ourselves, and he said, I'm "John C". To which I responded that I have seen his work posted here. We spent nearly an hour walking around, looking at his various wares, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and I hope he did, as well.

At the center of one of the display cases, nicely displayed among a number of other razors, all for sale, except that one, of course, both SR and DE, brushes, etc., was the very same razor that John has posted about above. During our tour John gently removed it from the case and handed it to me!

I believe he called it something like "La dia de la Muerta". Please forgive me if I've mis-remembered what it is called, but it is one gorgeous razor. He explained the detail in the design, told me where the original skull design had originated, as he pointed out the various elements in the design.

John is an artist and a gentleman. John, thanks for the tour of your shop and your beautiful craftsmanship. I am honored to have met you. I'm bringing my son with me next time, and next time I'm going to be a buyer, not just a looker!

[John C]

Thanks Gary!

It was a great pleasure having you stop by the store today!
The name for the razor is "Dia de los Muertos" or "Day of the Dead"
It's a spanish holiday the day or so after our Halloween. The client for this project really liked the winged skull and that's how we got the theme for this project. :w00t:
Here's a final pic for you guys with the razor along with the custom strop that goes with it. The strop is a nice basic 9oz. red latigo strop 2"x24". The plates are attached with screw rivits so that the leather can be changed out later or different plates can be used as well.

If any of ya'll are in the Oklahoma City area, feel free to drop by and just shoot the breeze. I don't really like to work that much anyway. :w00t:
pm me for the address.

thanks and enjoy,

[BillEllis]

Thanks Gary!

It was a great pleasure having you stop by the store today!
The name for the razor is "Dia de los Muertos" or "Day of the Dead"
It's a spanish holiday the day or so after our Halloween. The client for this project really liked the winged skull and that's how we got the theme for this project. :w00t:
Here's a final pic for you guys with the razor along with the custom strop that goes with it. The strop is a nice basic 9oz. red latigo strop 2"x24". The plates are attached with screw rivits so that the leather can be changed out later or different plates can be used as well.

If any of ya'll are in the Oklahoma City area, feel free to drop by and just shoot the breeze. I don't really like to work that much anyway. :w00t:
pm me for the address.

thanks and enjoy,

Man, how dang doodle dandy is that? I am very impressed.

[grump]

Looks fantastic!

One of a kind for sure.

[Guinness Draught]

Holy f*****g s**t. That is amazing!

What he said but with more **** and a bunch of OMG OMG OMG OMGz

I want to be a silversmith now!

[Barber-Eile]

I think I just drooled all over my keyboard. :w00t::thumbup:

[ambrose]

Marvelous!!!! :thumbup:

[impulseballer]

looks amazing.

[emmetgilgunn]

amazing
truely amazing

for my 21st i got a chefs knife set (i am a a chef) i still have and use

next year i will be 30 i think i may go for somting like this.

[urkel]

i just stumbled onto this thread and what an amazing artist you are john. makes me want to shave my beard and start shaving all over again

[BillEllis]

looks amazing.


amazing
truely amazing

for my 21st i got a chefs knife set (i am a a chef) i still have and use

next year i will be 30 i think i may go for somting like this.


i just stumbled onto this thread and what an amazing artist you are john. makes me want to shave my beard and start shaving all over again


In the world of hi-tech gadgetry, I've noticed that more and more people who send text messages and emails have long forgotten the art of capitalization. For those of you who fall into this category, please take note of the following statement. "Capitalization is the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse, and helping your uncle jack off a horse."


Is everybody clear on that?

[dakotaev]

In the world of hi-tech gadgetry, I've noticed that more and more people who send text messages and emails have long forgotten the art of capitalization. For those of you who fall into this category, please take note of the following statement. "Capitalization is the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse, and helping your uncle jack off a horse."


Is everybody clear on that?

Lol, nice.

[John C]

"Capitalization is the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse, and helping your uncle jack off a horse."


Is everybody clear on that?

yes, Sir!..... *snort*.. *chuckle*...

[brothers]

John, I think I saw "The Rattler" up close and personal a couple of weeks ago. It's amazing.

[sffone]

"Capitalization is the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse, and helping your uncle jack off a horse."

This reminds me of the one about commas: A comma is the difference between writing your traveling girlfriend/wife "Not getting any better, come home" and "Not getting any, better come home."

[tumtatty]

Well I just tried my hand and making some scales this way. Tried to cut out the number 1000 for a Taylor's Eye-Witness set of scales. Broke 4 blades on the first '0' then started to get the hang of it. I actually try to cut out the letters Eye Witness into copper but the 2nd "s" fell apart on me and both the part I was cutting and the part I wanted to keep broke off.

This is indeed much harder than it looks. Congrats on the amazing work!

Tim

[sffone]

Well I just tried my hand and making some scales this way. Tried to cut out the number 1000 for a Taylor's Eye-Witness set of scales. Broke 4 blades on the first '0' then started to get the hang of it. I actually try to cut out the letters Eye Witness into copper but the 2nd "s" fell apart on me and both the part I was cutting and the part I wanted to keep broke off.

This is indeed much harder than it looks. Congrats on the amazing work!

Tim

I applaud your courage. I'm thinking about trying something similar, but making scales this way does seem quite challenging!

[John C]

Well I just tried my hand and making some scales this way. Tried to cut out the number 1000 for a Taylor's Eye-Witness set of scales. Broke 4 blades on the first '0' then started to get the hang of it. I actually try to cut out the letters Eye Witness into copper but the 2nd "s" fell apart on me and both the part I was cutting and the part I wanted to keep broke off.

This is indeed much harder than it looks. Congrats on the amazing work!

Tim

Thanks!
Life now being less crazy after the holiday, I finally saw this post......
Keep at it! You're other scales have been damn fine, you'll get the hang of it.

I have two sayings that drive my students nuts....
*You buy your blades by the dozen cuz you break them by the dozen......
*It only gets easier after the first thousand blades or so.....

Seriously... make sure that you are supporting your work *with* the benchpin, this will help keep the metal from bending on you as you cut it.
Make sure that you are using the right size of blade for the thickness *and* complexity of the cut. (ie. thinner metal use a smaller blade, thicker metal with tight turns..use a smaller blade. (ie, anything smaller than 20 gauge metal I tend to go with a 5/0 or 7/0)
TAKE YOUR TIME!!! It's hard to do, because you want to see a finished product, but make yourself slow down.
Use some sort of lubricant on the blade, beeswax or something simular. Don't use a liquid lubricant it'll only jack up your pattern and make it harder for you.
Even harder to do than slow down is to *RELAX* gripping the saw too hard or having your arms too tense when you're working will only fatigue you and cause you to jerk at the wrong time. Like with honeing, if you start to feel flusterated or start to get tense.....walk away. Even in mid-cut. finish a down cut, leave the metal piece at the top of the sawframe with the blade still in it and rest it on the pin, and WALK AWAY.... It'll be easier and save more time in the long run to just come back to it tomorrow. (plus it saves me from throwing hammers across the shop :P )

sorry if I'm starting to sound preachy or long winded,
hope this helps!
Cheers!

[sffone]

Thanks for the suggestions.

[tumtatty]

I'm guessing that cutting out letters and numbers was probably not the wisest move for a first attempt. I noticed also that when I kept the saw as vertical as possible I broke less blades. I tend to lean into the cut and I think that caused me some problems.

Also, do you use the whole blade with long strokes or do you do small strokes with just the middle or alternating areas of the blade?

Thanks for all your help! I'm looking forward to pulling this off someday :)

[John C]

I'm guessing that cutting out letters and numbers was probably not the wisest move for a first attempt. I noticed also that when I kept the saw as vertical as possible I broke less blades. I tend to lean into the cut and I think that caused me some problems.

Also, do you use the whole blade with long strokes or do you do small strokes with just the middle or alternating areas of the blade?

Thanks for all your help! I'm looking forward to pulling this off someday :)

Well, it's not where I would have told you to start....lol... but you never know till you try!

Keeping the blade as vertical as possible is definately the way to go. you put less stress on the blade and you can get better cleaner cuts when working with thicker metals. Let the blade do all the work, don't try to add extra pressure to make it cut more than it wants to cut.

When you have long straight or smooth curves, use the whole blade. Only use shorter strokes, with just a part of the blade, when working in tight places, and do so with a light hand.

If the blade starts to bind or doesn't want to cut, *Don't Force It*. Loosen your grip on the metal piece that you're cutting and slightly lift the saw frame just a bit off the benchpin. More often than not the bound blade will swing the metal around to realign itself. Once it's done that, then the extra tension has been removed from the blade and you should be able to resume your cut.

If you manage to loose a few teeth on a blade while useing it and it starts to jump or skip on the metal, go ahead and change out blades as soon as you can. That blades' about done for anyway and the accidental damage that you can do to a piece when the blade finally breaks can ruin a fragile piece. Remember blades are cheap, you buy them by the dozen cuz you break them by the dozen :)

Keep at it, I'm looking forward to see what you come up with!!
Cheers!

[Doc226]

You are an artist.

[conroygc]

It's times like this I wish I were a better writer...all I can say is wow.

[newtobengall]

Lol, Thats just how i feel right now, I thought i had seen it all, Truely amazing work i'm stunned.

[Jporco]

What an excellent series of posts and pics. Thank you for sharing, now I have to wipe the drool off my keyboard.

[Izrahvil]

god.. this is crazy...
i felll in love!

[tomjr]

every time is see this i am in awe of your skills.

[mwengerd]

Boy, if this project weren't a kick in the pants. Like others said, it's not like a whole ton of tools and fancy gadgetry were used. Kudos on an amazing-looking project!

[paco664]

this thread contains so much pure awesome it is staggering....

[rickboone1]

I want some metal scales one day. Pretty stinkin' awesome.

[hig789]

This blows my mind every time I look at it. That is some damn fine work.

[not2sharp]

The coolest ----I'm Speechless--- kind of

[sixsixty]

jaw dropped.

[Nxspam]

You are an artist Sir!

[joshua1970]

WOW

just WOW!

[craig94yj]

Out friggin standing! What you do is absolutely amazing.