Thread: tortoise shell

tortoise shell how do you differentiate real from plastic ones?

I believe shell is like horn in that it is possible to see the individual fibres. I have read that smell can be used to differentiate in addition to the heated pin test which works to distinguish ivory from plastic.

Plastic melts easily.

Do a small melt test at the inside of the drillhole?

I have one razor that has genuine tortoiseshell scales. I can tell by the slight delaminating of the shell on the edge in a couple of places. Below is a definition from the Columbia Encyclopedia I found here.


"tortoiseshell, horny, translucent, mottled plates covering the carapace of the tropical hawksbill turtle. The plates, too thin for most purposes in their original form, are usually built up in layers that are molded or compressed after the surfaces have been liquefied by heat; thus, a firm union is effected after resolidification. Inlays can be imbedded in the shell with a hot iron. Tortoiseshell has been used in veneering since ancient times; its chief use today is in the manufacture of toilet articles and decorative objects. It is imitated in products of celluloid and horn, but the laminated structure of most genuine work aids in identifying the real shell."

From my readings, I have seen that with the hot pin test, real shell will smell a bit like burning horn or hair, plastic smells like burning plastic. I've never had real shell to try, and I don't think I'd want to do the hot pin test either...

Sham, if you do decide to do the hot pin test, it is not necessary to actually touch the inside of a scale with the red hot pin. Just getting close to it will cause smoke, if it is celluloid! If you touch it...POOFFF! Real tortoise shell (I have two genuine shell scaled razors) feels very, very smooth and slick to the touch, unlike any other material. It gets darker and darker with age, until you can barely see the pattern on very old tortoise shell; it looks almost black, with some lighter yellowish areas. Hope this helps.

Sham, here are real tortoise shell scales original to the old English Underwood straight razor they are attached to. No mistake about it-they are nothing like horn and I did do the hot pin test. Smelled like burning bone. They are very flexible, too. A knife expert in Tucson was very complimentary and assured me that this is actual tortoise shell. Right before taking the photos below, I polished the scales with, what else. Turtle Wax! Hope the pretty internal fire comes through in the pictures.