Thought I'd post a restore already in progress. It's a Simmons Hardware "Hornet". I have already finished the blade. It was lightly tarnished, with some rust in the pivot area. Love the ones that don't need a ton of work. So does my arthritis/carpel tunnel. Scales are going to be Koa. I think they will have a bit of flame once CA finish goes on. That will take several days to complete, so I will post progress when I can. I believe I have a bit of bone for the wedge, if the piece is big enough. Thanks for looking.
Mike, That is looking pretty nice. Can you explain your process of applying coats of CA. How long do you let it dry and do you sand between coats?
Thanks, Jayaruh. As for my process, I normally apply a coat using a folded square of toilet paper, let dry 15-20 minutes(I am using regular store bought Super Glue brand CA), sand back with 800 wet/dry(used dry. Water and CA are ugly) until the surface is smooth, without going through the finish to wood. Re apply, and on and on for 20-30 coats. Sand the last coat smooth, buff lightly with 0000 steel wool, and polish with Mother's. I am trying something new with this one. I'm just applying coat after coat with no sanding inbetween. When I get the thickness I'm after, I'm going to sand smooth and see. When I repair poly finishes on guitars, a lot of times if the chip is small enough you can fill in with CA. Do it several times until the CA is proud of the finish, scrape level, sand and polish. No witness lines, etc. So I am going to see if this holds true for finishing scales. If it works I'm good. If not, I'll sand back to bare wood and start over like normal. We shall see.
Your project is making me look at getting some cyanoacrylate. Question: How brittle is it, after hardening? There isn't a chance of it cracking when it is slightly bent, after assembly is there. From the looks of it partially assembled, with the wedge in place, there will be a slight bend taking place, after fully assembled. I know @HolyRollah has done many of these.
It flexes just like any other set of scales I've had on straights. I've been using it two/three years with no issues.
Well, there is snow on the ground here, so outside work isn't ideal, but wifey dislikes the scent of buffing/polishing compound. So this gave me a chance to try something I've been thinking about lately. I got 20 coats of CA on the scales, sanded them smooth with 800 wet/dry and 0000 steel wool, and buffed with a progression of 3/1/ .3 micron lapping film. This resulted in a nice semi-gloss/satin type finish that I think gives the wood warmth as well as beauty. Here are a few shots of her pinned and ready for honing. As earlier discussed, wedge is bone.
