Some thoughts about horn.

[Geezer]

Some thoughts about horn

I have worked with, fabricated, and cussed horn scales for a few years. Even new, they tend to warp or twist. What to do?

My experience is that the antique razors with horn scales that were not warped were ones that I received in coffins, whether original or not. ¿Hmmm?

Gave me an idea...I had tried wetting one side of the short scale and it worked for a couple days. I also tried laying the short scale on a dampened cloth for a few days and that worked somewhat longer. ¿What would happen to the scales if they were hung like little bats by their tails from magnets for long enough to become equally saturated or dried throughout each scale?

Well, after a few weeks even those distorted by a quarter inch to one side had approached normal.


From that, my take is: if the entire razor is at the same humidity / moisture retention, the scales will approximate the original shape at pinning after being normalized for a varying length of time. That may not work as quickly, or at all for razors with pewter inlays in one scale, but it did help a lot!

Maybe storing horn razors in coffins could be the way to reduce the problems with the scales warping?

YMMV; of course!
~Richard