HOW TO CLAMP SCALES TO FULL TANG?

[kansas stik man]

ive completed my first knife and it turned out ok but i have always wanted everything i do to be better so here i am asking for advise once again.  sure is nice having lots of experianced people out there that are more than willing to help.  ok , so on the first knife i used four 3" c-clamps to clamp my scales to a full tang.  they worked great but the preassure that was applied on the outside of the wood made small round impressions and also caused the wood to discolor.  with ALOT of sanding i got most of it out but the color never got back to normal.  is there a better way of clamping?  maybe i put way to much pressure on them ?  would a different style clamp work better?  i have some birds eye maple for my next knife and would be sick to have the same results on such beautiful wood.  im open to any and all suggestions.  thanks again.

[TheBigRedArcher]

C-clamps work great I use a mix of c-clamps and spring clamps. To avoid the impressions in the wood just put a piece of thin scrap between the handle and the clamps.  

Post some pics.

TBRA

[Scott Roush]

I usually clamp knowing that I'm going to be removing a lot of wood so I don't usually care. But I almost never buy the thin scales for sale on the knife supply sites. I usually start from a big chunk of something and prepare my own scales.

[kansas stik man]

well the wood im using is just a 3/8" thick strip that was given to me by a friend that works at a orgin building factory.

[tippit]

If the wood & tang are flat, it doesn't take much pressure glue them up.  I just use small spring clamps that don't leave marks...Doc

[JohnHV]

I like to use a couple of these clamps.
 http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xjv/R-100036888/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
They can't get too tight and I've never had an issue with marking the wood.  I like to cover the ends with electrical tape in case some epoxy gets between the clamp and the work piece.  This will keep you from gluing your clamp to the knife. (Don't ask LOL).

[Todd Robbins]

I do like TBRA does and just put some scrap between the scales and clamps.

[ermont]

Scraps are best just be careful not to get glue on them. The glue is stronger than the wood so you will tear chunks out of your scales removing them.