Drew set

As I mentioned on the other thread I got inspired to finish off my 7 day set of Drews in Ivory.
When I first got the set one of the razors scales were really trashed so I made a new set and cleaned up the blade at that time . Now I broke that razor down again so I could match the finish on all the blades and adjust the color of the new Ivory to look more like the original stock. On the remaining razors I also had To make 3 single scales.
Brass washerless pins, original lead wedges keep them all together.
Now I just have to gut the box , make new dividers , put in new velvet and restore the finish.

As as you view the photos you can see just how pure white the new stock is compared to the original scales . Had I not done anything they would have stuck out like a sore thumb .
Didn't want to end up using the line from "My Cousin Vinny,,oh yeah,,YOU blend!"

Its on on its way to becoming a nice set. Interesting shaped blades . Nice jimps on the top and very fine ones under the shaft. Looking forward to giving them a go.

A few more shots.

Stunning set ! Thanks for posting them. BTW, how did you "age" the Ivory ?

Thank you Wirm.

Some time ago I had posted another Ivory project and a fellow member offered some suggestions on how to age Ivory . I feel bad not remembering just who it was.

Anyway I also did a bit more research and the process goes like this.
I sanded out the piece and basically got it polished. I then wiped it down with alcohol to remove any wax, oil etc.
I filled a shallow tray with vinegar and dropped the scale in for maybe 20 seconds. The vinegar , or most any acidic wash acts like an etch for the stain to settle in.
Remove the scale , rinse and drop into your stain. Just like your teeth ( it's basically the same material) anything can stain it. I used tea in another shallow tray. This brought up some color but not the direction I wanted it. I needed more to the yellowish shade. Being in the kitchen, and in the middle of the process I remembered how turmeric stains my fingers yellow so I added that to the mix and it got me pretty much there only it all became quite dark.

So out to the shop for a little scuffing,,buff with some cleaner wax ,, and just playing with it until the shine was there and the color at least close to what I wanted.

I'm sure I could with more samples ,,, aniline dies,, some suggest clothing dyes I could hit it on the nose .
But I just used what was on hand in the heat of the moment .

And too being natural materials,, an the variations expected in them the differences in these kinda seem right somehow after aging all these years.
Sanding the old ones didn't really lighten them as I anticipated either. So I had to find a balance.
An interesting thing I found was keepin Ivory covered in the dark ( keeping the lid down on a piano ) will cause the Ivory to darken.

Very nice job! Thanks for sharing!

Very nice set. A ton of work there. Bravo Zulu!

Gorgeous set Mark! Absolutely Gorgeous....

i say very nice! love it.

That is a fantastic 7 day set. Well done on the restoration!

That is amazing workmanship.
Congrats on a fabulous set.

That's an outstanding looking set of razors and equally outstanding work.
That was a very interesting story about the dying process.
If keeping the ivory in the dark like the piano keys darkens it, I wonder if exposure to bright light for a period of time would lighten it? Is it just a dye and ambient light exposure process and for how long? Very interesting.
Thanks for sharing!

Pete <:-}

Thank you and I'm glad you found the story interesting.
And you're absolutely correct . Several sites devoted to Ivory care/cleaning suggested keeping a piano lid open and exposing Ivory to light to help keep it white. Sort of like bleached bones in the desert kinda thing. Toothpaste also helps . Same things you do to whiten teeth also works on Ivory. But it is susceptible to water. Go figure.

Starting on refurbishing the box . New dividers , velvet (old stuff is like cement!) strip the finish etc.