Thread: Vintage Razors: Scale Materials

I notice that a lot of vintage razors with black scales on eBay are described as being made of horn or pressed horn. I have no doubt that's true, but I see almost none being described as made of hard rubber (also called ebonite). The same seems true here on the B/S/T, to a lesser extent. And yet, I've bought a half dozen or so black-scaled vintage razors off eBay--Boker, Torrey, W&B, etc.--and all have had black hard rubber scales. Too small a sample to generalize, I know, but I wonder how many people describe ebonite scales as horn because they see a photo of a black-scaled SR that is described as horn and decide their SR is horn-handled as well.

I've never handled pressed horn, but horn itself has a grain to it, doesn't it? Hard rubber certainly does not. In photos, black scales that has discolored to a greenish=grey or to a mottled brown is likely to be hard rubber. In person, you can tell if scales are hard rubber with a quick rubbing of the material--if it gives off a burnt rubber smell, it's ebonite/hard rubber.

I've also noticed that what is often called "cracked ice" here is generally called marblized or pearlized celluloid in the vintage fountain pen world, not that they have a lock on the correct term. But here is what fountaiin pen folks call cracked ice:

Rather different, eh?

So, horn and pressed horn, bone and antler, ivory, ebonite, and celluloid. What other materials were vintage straight razor scales made from?

Dan

I've seen sterling silver scales.

I think you would see aluminum.
Remember that aluminum was more precious than gold or anything..
That's why the Washington Monument has a top of aluminu...

The black scale may be bakelite… popular “handle” on vintage cutlery.

It would depend on the age. In the 1800s good scales were probably Ivory or Horn or turtle,bone and the more common stuff was celluloid or Rubber with really expensive stuff Sterling. Once you got into the 20th century they used alot more stuff. Aluminum, Pewter,bakelite, plastic in addition to the other. probably Ivory and Turtle used less and eventually outlawed with some exceptions for ivory and of course they use all kinds of stuff now for customs limited only by your imagination.