Thread: Is there anyway to clean some Ivory scales?

I saw this straight razor on the bay & I was the only bidder because the blade is trashed but I suspected they were Ivory. When I got it, I looked at it closely & I can see the wavy grain to them like Ivory has plus they are thin like ivory. It is a Wostenholm straight & I paid $14.95 for it plus shipping which the total was under $20. I did try a little Mothers on a rag to see if it would come off but no luck. I know I have seen some threads on here in the past about this but there are some brownish spots on them & was wondering if I could get them off & looking normal again. That way I could put another Wosty blade in them & have another Ivory scaled straight razor.

I really like the Wostenholm IXL pattern. I hope you're able to find a way to clean those scales.

Originally Posted by Leatherstockiings

I really like the Wostenholm IXL pattern. I hope you're able to find a way to clean those scales.

Yeah, when I first saw them I had to look at them over & over again but the zoom function on eBay was able to let me see them closer & the more I looked at them, the more they looked Ivory. I love the etching or inscription on them too. Thanks!

When I went to clean up my dirty Ivory scaled razors (I have done this only two times just FYI!) I very lightly sanded with 2k grit paper and then polished with a microfiber cloth. Of course I lost some material but the Ivory that is left is nice and shiny and smooth! There are various recipes on the web to try and clean Ivory, but honestly I would rather remove a very small amount off the surface before I risk damaging the whole thing! Hopefully someone with better knowledge and experience than I will chime in soon
Nice pickup by the way!

A good method is to soak them in light mineral oil and then use a good toothpaste and tooth brush and give them a good scrubbing. It works well. Those ones may take two or the scrubs to get the results you want

It would be unusual to have ivory with a pattern like that in it. These days they can use a laser to inscribe a pattern but back then it was manual labor. Most are simple. Maybe it's bone.

Thanks Leatherstockings, Ernie, Rez & thebigspendu so far. Ernie, I did think about using some 3k but I also have some 2.5k & 2k & on down to 240 grit. I've even thought about using some lapping film. Thanks for the compliment.
@ Rez, I guess mineral oil is one oil I don't have & need to get some. The toothpaste is even a good idea because it is a very mild abrasive. I've used it before to remove something but I didn't think about it this time. I even mentioned toothpaste in a thread once I think because someone had a blade with a spot on it.
@ thebigspendu, I thought they were bone at first but the more I looked at them, I figured & took a chance they were Ivory. They have all the markings Ivory would have. I thought the same thing about the pattern & that they had to have some way to do that. They look so much more like Ivory than bone to me. Maybe someone can shed some light on that as well. Even bone is pretty hard. I'll see if any of my resources have a straight like that in them but I doubt it.
Thanks ALL!

If you go to page 8 of the IXL Pipe Shop in the razor clubs you will see a nice example of those scales.

They are ivory. Check this thread and see that Neil Miller explained how the etch was performed.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/custo...ton-works.html

Originally Posted by sharptonn

They are ivory. Check this thread and see that Neil Miller explained how the etch was performed.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/custo...ton-works.html

I knew they were. They looked too much like Ivory. I apparently saw that link before because I saw a like I left on a post. I also left Neil a thanks to that! I forget some of the things i read. I remember now because awhile back I was researching acid etching & some of the things mentioned like beeswax is used in acid etching.