Bridgepirt Scales

S

Susan14

Joined
Jan 14, 2022
Messages
29
Any one know where i cpuld buy Bridgeport replacement handle scales? I have a 1950 hatchet in great condition but the scales are nasty. I could try to make but i am not as skilled as it would take.
 
HolyRoller said:
eBay. But only if the planets align. The amount of luck required will be astronomical.

Get creative, or shell out to have someone more skilled create them. It sucks, but it is what it is.
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I know. I thought about buying wood then going to a shop but not sure what kind?
I would like ideally to hire someone to make them. But where to start?
 
The repair, done by someone skilled enough to do it right, would likely cost 4 times the value of the hatchet. It would be a labor of love. Several good bladesmiths on this site could do it.
 
Thanks. I am a pretty handy gal and think i am going to try to make new scales. I have watched a few U Tubes on it. Here‘s my plan. Buy 1/2” wood and trace shape onto wood. Use a band saw (which i am going to buy) and do a rough cut. I have no idea have to do the inside bevel to seat scales into frame. A router? Or hand chisel. And need to figure out how to add new brass pins. Should be a fun project and yes it will be an expensive one.
 
Maybe you don't need to buy a bandsaw for just one project - unless you'll continue to use the bandsaw. A coping saw might be a cheap solution. And once you've cut the scales roughly to shape you could fine tune them with wood rasps. A medium 10" wood rasp and an 8" four-in-hand rasp should do the trick.
 
Susan14 said:
I have a coping saw! And a wood rasp thanks. Any idea what ro use for rivets/pins to anchor to frame?
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I suggest stainless steel self-clinching fasteners and machine screws. They give adjustability with an attractive appearance (especially if using hex drive machine screws.) Self-clinching fasteners, sometimes called PEM nuts, are panel nuts usually used to add threads to sheet metal or circuit boards, which aren't thick enough to support threads. They are round but have an integrated serrated washer in their flanged base that allows them to bite in and prevent spinning in place. Looks very tidy when put together, and they're off-the-shelf hardware that's easy to find.
 
Susan14 said:
I have a coping saw! And a wood rasp thanks. Any idea what to use for rivets/pins to anchor to frame?
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Before you mentioned using brass rivets. You can make a couple brass rivets from brass rod available at the hardware store. I made a couple 10 years ago by chucking up brass rod in a power drill (makeshift lathe) and turning them down.
Brass%20rivet%202.JPG


You can remove material very quickly by cutting with a grinder while the drill is turning to toward the grinder.
Brass%20rivet%203.JPG


Then clean up the fast grinder work with a metal file.
Brass%20rivet%201.jpg


Fit your tang while the rivet is still in the chuck. If it's too tight then take off a little more with the file.
Brass%20rivet%204.JPG


Finished%20rivets.jpg
 
I don't think you need to go through all that for brass rivets. Copper rivets and burrs can be purchased from local saddle shops (and brass can be found easily online) or you can just form a head on brass rod of the correct diameter using a ball peen hammer. Meanwhile Corby bolts aren't very expensive these days if you shop around a little, and cutler's rivets are available on the big river site for very little.
 
You guys ate greats. Thanks for all the tips. Will explore them. I really like the brass rod idea.
 
so with the brass rod s i wont need to countersink anything just flatten out top with ball peen?
 
Just got an angle grinder. That should do the jobof reducing diameter. Where do i get the brass rods? Home Depot?
 
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