rescaling

[taprater]

I have an antique that I am restoring and looking to make my own scales for it using the old ones as a template. I would like to make them from wood and am considering using cedar or maybe oak would these be good candidates for scales or would something else work better?

TIA,
Travis

[RoyalKooparillo]

I think cedar and oak would both be good choices.

One thing to think about is how you're planning to finish them. Some woods are naturally oilier than others, and some are more stable. Many woods that have nice figuring or burls need to be stabilized in some way or they will warp over time.

On oilier woods like Cocobolo, I think oil finishes look very nice. For burlwoods, I really like a clear CA finish to help the figuring "pop."

Good luck! Making scales is an enormous amount of fun!

[lax1mxr]

ebony, purpleheart, or cocobolo would be great, they are all strong, and can be finished with just wax.

[zippo]

oak is a good choice however cedar is a little soft unless you finish it in CA or something similar so as to have a hard protective coating .If this is your first go at it, good luck, just take your time
Kind regards Peter

[taprater]

thanks alot for the input guys but one question, whats CA?

[mainaman]

thanks alot for the input guys but one question, whats CA?

CA= super glue (cyanoacrylate)

[RoyalKooparillo]

CA= super glue (cyanoacrylate)

And it's not just any super glue, either. The best stuff I've found is the thin "Hot Stuff" available from Woodcraft stores.

[r0ckrat]

I was wondering that myself. So people are using it as a finish now? Back in high School, I used it as a finish on a couple little toys I made out of balsa. Never figured it would actually catch on as a real finish, though. (In drafting class, we competed in a balsa bridge building competition. Got bored, made a couple futuristic car bodies out of balsa, coated with the glue... circa 1988.)

[Fnord5]

Cedar is too light, and is too soft. It will flex and crack the CA finish, letting water in, and/or wear quickly from opening.
Oak is good, but not the best looking for scales, not much figure, or pattern to it.

[RoyalKooparillo]

Cedar is too light, and is too soft. It will flex and crack the CA finish, letting water in, and/or wear quickly from opening.
Oak is good, but not the best looking for scales, not much figure, or pattern to it.

I've seen some really gorgeous stabilized cedar...might be an option.

[Dpflaum]

I just started making scales myself, and I have found that walnut works very well, is cheap, and in many places is available locally in 1/8" thick slabs.

As for finishing, you can indeed use any old super glue. I bought the 3 for $1 kind at the dollar store and it provided a nice hard, smooth finish with good shine after a nice sanding.