Advice Making Custom G10 Scales

I finished the first scale! Here it is on the Kershaw Thermite:





Thanks to everyone that gave advice! The scale came out great in my opinion. I'll probably do the JYD 2 next, with Blue and Black G10.

P.S. I would love comments so that I can make an even better scale next time.
 
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Try rounding over the edges a little and countersinking the holes so the screws don't stand proud. :thumbup:
 
I found out the edges needed to be rounded after holding the knife. I will round them today. I stripped the original screws, and these are replacements. The new screws have larger heads, and they are countersunk as much as possible. The still are about 1mm proud.
 
Nice job! That jade color looks great... Did you mill out the pocket for the assist spring? IF not you can de-assist it by drilling a hole in the blade, usually with a 1/16th bit where the detent ball sits on the blade when closed. YOu dont want to drill it all the way thru, just enough for the detent ball to sit in. (i'm sure there are more than a few threads on this subject) You will probably need a small drill press, if you use a hand drill it may run on you.

If you know anyone who works with metal or CNC you may be able to buy some old counter bores or end mills from them. They work just fine for G-10 (but you'll need that drill press... Just a small bench top one will do fine). Very Nice!
 
No, I didn't mill out the pocket. I did drill the detent hole! It doesn't work perfectly, but it is now a functional manual flipper.

I have a pretty good drill press--I milled out the pocket with a 1/16 diamond ball meant for a dremmel. Thanks for the compliments! I will try scales for my Kershaw JYD 2 next. (Blue and Black, 2x2)
 
I just finished a similar project - my first custom scales for my Kershaw Skyline (in Jade Ghost, too). I really liked what I got by hand sanding the shiny surface of the G10 with coarse and then fine sandpaper, and then washing the G10 with soap and water and then applying some kind of oil/lubricant:
knife1.jpg
 
Use a router table for a perfect scale. Use proper spacer Pins to hold the original handle to the new cutout after drilling two holes. Such as the pivot hole and lanyard hole. Then use a router bit to perfectly cut the new handle to fit after making sure the bearing is in perfect condition to not damage the factory scale. Then use a angled router bit like a 45, 35 or dovetail to put a beautiful bevel on the new piece. And try to make the screws countersunk to be flush with the handle or just a hair below for a sexy finish.. Those look nice BTW.
Oh yeah, i use a little WD 40 and I get no harmful dust.
 
I normally drill first and use dowel pins to keep the scales registered as you cut them on the bandsaw. This ensure better accuracy when you get down to shaping the scales.

TedP
 
I just checked back to this thread. Thanks for the new advice! I have a router, so I might try coldsteelrocks's method. I will post here with results. (expect them sometime this week)
 
Just finished a similar project myself, and this seems to be a first timer thread so here's my 1st attempt at g10 scales on my barrage.....any helpful tips would be appreciated. its not perfect by any means.
image_2.jpeg

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spydercobenchmadekai said:
Nice job on the Barrage scales! :thumbup: How did you make the Axis lock fit?
Click to expand...

thank u!

it was a steady balance of milling, trying it, milling again, trying it again, swearing, then more milling. it really wasn't too difficult. the thing i had to figure out was that the holes for the axis lock had to be milled from the backside a little because of the washer on the lock. also, i really thought that i was going to go through the g10 on the side opposite the pivot screw because of the assist housing. Luckily, i didn't. the only advice i could give anyone is....go slow and easy w/ the milling. keep the dremmel at a slow speed and just take your time, doing a little at a time until it finally fits properly.
 
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