giraffe scales

K

Kaliandk9s

Joined
Jun 24, 2005
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78
I have a set of giraffe scales I am looking at using on a knife I have been working on, but the only thing I can't figure out is how to get a straight hole drilled through the scales. The scales are half round on one side. Any ideas?

Greg
 
I'm making a jig for just that sort of thing. Basically the idea is to use a piece of channel stock (steel or aluminum).

If you clamp the scale into the channel so that the flat side of the scale is against the inside bottom of the channel... You can turn the channel over now and the bottom of the scale is facing up and is flat/level. Now drill through the bottom of the scale on your drill press.

Rather than leaving the end of the scale hanging out the end of the channel to allow you to drill through it, I was planning to mill a angled slot in the bottom of the channel so that with the scale fully inside the channel the slot would provide a window for viewing/drilling.

I'll see if I can work up a drawing...

-Ben
 
Something like this.

jig.gif

-Ben
 
It does not have to be complicated. After you have a scale fitted to the tang, glue in place with a few small drops of super glue, down the middle, not near the edges. Secure the blade/ricasso in a drill press vise, assuming that you have a flat area to make it sit square, slide a wood wedge under where you are drilling to support the scale, and drill through the tang holes. A sharp rap on a wood work bench will break the glue loose. Do both scales in this manner, but separate, clean off the remnants of glue, and install. I have never had this fail, but you may want to try this on a scrap scale first. To be sure that I can reset if the glue fails while drilling, I get all holes started before I drill them through. I also drill the front, then the rearmost, so I can realign using pins if necessary.
 
i have drilled many different types of irregular shaped materials using clay as a support...
slap on a piece of clay on your drill press table,use clamps to hold the work in place,use a level to get your peice just right,and drill slow...works for me!:D
good luck!
 
You can also use a set of parallels in a vice...flat side down and drill the holes through. I put something on the backside of the handle to avoid splintering the bone.
 
Thanks guys. I'll prob take you up on that george. They are stabilized and dyed.
Another great ebay find.
Greg
 
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