Thread: Why do scales warp?

I shaved with my Dovo Special tortoise this morning, and was surprised to see that the scales have a slight warp. I bought this new about a year ago. Never got any water on the scales, and the blade, like all my other razors, carefully dried and oiled after use. Storage is no different either, in wood, boxes, with bags of silica thrown in.

I have vintage razors that are 100, and a few that are close to 200 years old, still with unwarped original scales.

Am I missing anything here? Any particular scale materials more prone to warping (ecept stell wapi scales of course)? Are the newer plastic scales more prone as well? Any other precautions to minimize warping?

Thanks.

Ray,
I have no clue what the answer is but this is an awesome question! Hopefully someone will have an awesome answer, though I fear that it might just be..."they just do!" Obviously, I presume, the real question is, how do you prevent scales from warping?

Do you store your razor some place where it may get too much heat(next to hot water pipes, heating , etc)?

I think the actual answer might lay in the pinning, Bent pins, crooked pins, and over-tightened pins.... Of course scale material degrading, would be an obvious reason on some of the celluliod scales....
Heck I don't know but it sounds good

Some scales definitely have a tendency to warp more than others. celluloid is famous for it and certain types of horn do more than others. I don't know if it has to do with heat or just aging in some materials. With some materials you never see it unless it was really abused. I think modern plastic doesn't warp nor does mother of pearl or ivory.

I agree with some previous posts too. Bad pinning could possibly do it. Celluloid and other plastics like that are prone. Weather/temperature changes could do it, but I doubt it would be so instantaneous. Horn is prone and it just happens over time. Ivory shrinks over time. Wood warps for obvious reasons. One other big reason that I see for warped scales is a wedge that is not tapered. This would happen over time too though- like 50 years, not one.

P.S. not all this stuff happens on every set obviously. There is no solid answer.

The warping is very mild and is on the body of the scale just where the "Dovo" inlay is. Funny thing is, it only involves the scale with the inlay. The other side is perfectly straight. May be something related to the metal inlay?

Good thought, but no exposure to heat during storage.

Thanks for all the replies, guys.

Interesting discussion! If I just may ad a question related to this: why do blades get warped? I have an old slightly warped wedge razor. And can something be done about it or warped scales for that matter?

Originally Posted by RayG

The warping is very mild and is on the body of the scale just where the "Dovo" inlay is. Funny thing is, it only involves the scale with the inlay. The other side is perfectly straight. May be something related to the metal inlay?

Good thought, but no exposure to heat during storage.

Thanks for all the replies, guys.

IMO, you found the problem-its the inlay..or more likely the lack of material UNDER the inlay. The fact that there is less material on one of the scales would make it behave differently as far as expansion and contraction.

If there was no inlay or an identical one on BOTH scales they would expand and contract at similar rates. Makes sense to ME

Originally Posted by Rawaz

And can something be done about it or warped scales for that matter?

Here you go: http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...ed-scales.html