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One of my father's favorite sayings was "Talks cheap, it takes money to buy whisky"

In this case it translate to:

"Hot Pin Test the Damn Scales and find out what they 'ARE' and stop talking...

Call in a favor from a friend or family member who has a good sense of smell. :w

If in doubt--do the hot pin test, it only takes a couple of minutes and the smell between burnt hair and burnt plastic is very easy to distinguish.

The Neatsfoot oil is for horn scales. It soaks in and revives the horn. It won't work on celluloid. At least to the best of my experience.

You can do a 'Hot Pin Test' to help identify what material the scales are made from

Use a pair of vice grip pliers to hold a straightened paperclip then heat the end of the paperclip till it is...

There is always the possibility that the scales have shrunk from their original size.