Thread: "Delite"d This morning At Work

So as lunch was approaching and as I getting back to my desk - I noticed a small bag on my desk. A post it note that said "Enjoy". Open the bag and here is my latest gift from a very kind co-worker.

6/8" Extra Hollow - Droescher Delite, the metal ends are gold although they look silverish.




This is the last of the batch I was told - the brother wanted to keep a few for himself, but I am very happy with this one and the W&B from before. I will clean it up a bit when I get a chance.

Pretty positive that isn't ivory...nice score though!

very nice! I only wish my co workers would do stuff like that for me

Originally Posted by jumbojohnny

So as lunch was approaching and as I getting back to my desk - I noticed a small bag on my desk. A post it note that said "Enjoy". Open the bag and here is my latest gift from a very kind co-worker.

6/8" Extra Hollow - Droescher Delite, the metal ends are gold although they look silverish.




This is the last of the batch I was told - the brother wanted to keep a few for himself, but I am very happy with this one and the W&B from before. I will clean it up a bit when I get a chance. I am not sure if the scales are ivory or the faux ivory (I think they are faux) - I will also need to do a hot pin test.

Sorry for my ignorance, but what is a 'hot pin test'?
Beautiful razor by the way. You must be very nice to work with for your coworker to treat you so well.

The scales are faux Ivory Celluloid.

The hot pin test is (much better info in the wiki):

Take a hot pin, touch a discrete area of the scales to check for the burn or melt, or nothing depending on the material. Its a quick way to test for celluloid, ivory, horn, or bone.

Copied from Asian-Arts...

The tried and true method to test ivory is the famous "hot pin test". This method is used by beginners and experts alike. Because true ivory is virtually impenetrable with heat, this is a good test and will not damage the item if it is "real". Take a pin, large needle, or better yet a large straightened out
safety pin, and heat the tip RED-HOT. Poke the item somewhere that it will not show too bad (I use the netsuke hole). If it is real ivory, it will NOT penetrate and only leave a tiny tiny mark. If it is a resin, it will enter the item and produce a little crater around the hole. Now the big test… smell the "smoke" that comes of the test as you are poking it. If it is real ivory, it will have that unmistakable smell of the dentist's office when you had that root canal (stomach turning). It smells like burning tooth (because it IS). If it smells like burning plastic, it IS. Now, bone is also resistant to heat, but
not as much as ivory. The smell is less (or hardly at all) and is different than that of burning tooth.
Most bone carvings are "capped" on the top and bottom as all bones are hollow. If an item is
carved thinly enough to be carved from the wall of the bone (usually not thicker than 3/4") it may
appear to be ivory. But, bone is absolutely free of grain and will ALWAYS have little "pock marks" (sometimes brown and sometimes not) in it where the marrow or blood was. You may have to use a loupe to see these pock marks. So in conclusion, if it resists heat, smells like crap, and has any grain (especially crosshatching), you have the real deal. Do a little experimenting with items you know are
fake and real and see the difference. After you get used to the difference, you can start telling the
difference with most pieces by style of carving. Rest assured that anything I promote as ivory
IS ivory. If you want more info on hippo, mammoth, or walrus, let me know.....

Before you mark the scales with a hot pin, measure them: if they are thinner than usual they are ivory. Only ivory scales can be 1 millimeter thin and last for 200 years.
A very nice gift, enjoy it!

Don't do any tests,they are not ivory.And as a heads up,The fakests in the Ivory market have discovered Heat and flame resistant phenolics,mix in some Ivory Dust,it will pass any test.enc. UV lgt,except the feel test.Nice razor,enjoy.

Nice razor. The scales are not ivory or bone or horn. I have never seen metal inlays in any of those materials. I've seen bone and horn with metal work on them but the metal was 'pinned' on by drilling a hole through the material and folding a metal tang over to hold the metal on. If you see scales w ith inlay materials they are not ivory.

There are exceptions tho)