Thread: Determining celluliod bakalite or hard rubber

Whats the best way to determine the scale material. I understand bone and horn but the others give me trouble. Ive removed a few old sets and they give off a brown dust when sanding and smell like rubber but i have heard bakalite does the same. Not sure on cellulioid. Any answers would be appriciated or a link.
Thanks

Originally Posted by Afoshie

Whats the best way to determine the scale material. I understand bone and horn but the others give me trouble. Ive removed a few old sets and they give off a brown dust when sanding and smell like rubber but i have heard bakalite does the same. Not sure on cellulioid. Any answers would be appriciated or a link.
Thanks

To establish a base for your questions:

1 What do you do (test) to understand about determining Bone?
2 What do you do (test) to understand about determining Horn?

Knowing would be helpful.

Pin test bone horn dont melt. To my understanding other 3 do.

Originally Posted by Afoshie

Pin test bone horn dont melt. To my understanding other 3 do.

So you did the 'Pin Test' on the bone, am I to understand that you didn't use the same test on what you thought might be horn?

If you did, then you would have smelled something very similar to 'Burning Hair".

To use the same test on what is suspected to be Celluloid, then the the smell will be of burnt plastic. The same result will bee the same with a modern plastic scale.

The difference between Bakelite and Hard Rubber is hard to determine (In my honest opinion) but here's a link to an observation--Note Post #2--

https://sharprazorpalace.com/razors/...ml#post1692203

I hope this is of some help.

So rubber scsles can shiw the same characteristics of cell rot? Can this be nutrdlized in these types of scales ir are they like cell rotting scales and need to be trashed.

Originally Posted by Afoshie

So rubber scsles can shiw the same characteristics of cell rot? Can this be nutrdlized in these types of scales ir are they like cell rotting scales and need to be trashed.

NO! Only Celluloid causes 'Cell Rot'. Why do you think it's called 'Cell Rot' It's short for Celluloid Gassing and causing the scales to emit a corrosive gas that eats the blade while the scales continue to degrade.

Once cell rot starts you can’t reverse it. They need to be thrown out. Kinda like that duck you had for sale. Bskelite and rubber do not off gas. When you start off you always are buying things that have not the best material to work with. As you slow down and learn the differences you will make better choices. Sometimes just asking before you buy with pictures. One of our senior members said it best “ cobdition is everything with buying vintage”

I found the rubber scales will have the brown sanding dust if I remember right. Plus warming it with rubbing your fingers on it or sanding with very fine paper will make a rubber smell. I've played with a lot of those recently. Check out the link Roy posted. It's very helpful.

And as TC said, If you're serious about buying, ask for help. Too many pieces of junk out there for someone with no understanding. You can be taken easy. Unless you got more money than me the burn, then go ahead. LOL.

Celluloid will have the smell of camphor when sanding