Thread: Leather scales?

Won this John Barber last night.

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Leather scales? Has anyone seen leather scales before? Think they are original to the razor?

Finally, a snub tail to call my own.

They are rare, but I have seen them first hand, it looks as if you may need to have those replaced.

Yeah, I may see if I can make a set of one piece scales out of oak or something. Ones that could have come on it to begin with, that way I can put the leather up for posterity.

This is the first I'd heard of leather scales and I wanted a John Barber so I pulled the trigger.

I have a razor with leather scales. It looks like those may have gotten wet, or something. The one I have looks more like the flat rubber scales that you see on some old razors.

Nice old timer, congratulations! I have never seen leather scales before. Looks like they went through the same process leather luggage used to, for stiffening and toughening of steamer trunks, etc.

I've never seen leather scales before but, having seen a Brooks leather bycicle saddle and just how stiff it is... I think that may be possible.
Good catch!

Thanks, all.

I may try making some replacement leather scales. I'll take the razor up to Tandy and see what they say.

HNSB- Have any pictures of yours?

I reckon the originals were pressed leather - it is quite dense and hard. I believe they boiled it (like they used to do for hard boot sole leather) then pressed it in heated and greased metal dies, often with a decorative line around the edge. They used to do this for the leather in suits of armour in mediaeval times - cuir boulli was the name. The amount of heat meant you could have a hardened or a very rigid leather - with high heats the actual tannins in the leather begin to flow and when set the scales look a bit like hard rubber.

Someone at one time or another tried to emulate those originals with just cut, fairly rigid leather - it looks a bit home grown and battered to me.

There were a copious amount of razors with scales using the cuir bouilli technique - I must have 20 or so sets that I have removed from old razors.

Lovely looking blade, by the way - should look the business in new scales!

Regards,
Neil

Originally Posted by pz93c

HNSB- Have any pictures of yours?

I will see if I can find it tonight and take some pictures. Someone above mentioned luggage leather; mine reminds me more of the old fire helmets that were made of leather.

The first half of Neil's post sounds about right for the leather that I have.

Pretty sweet buy.