Thread: George Wostenholm & Son 11/16" Celebrated I-XL

Originally Posted by Dimitry

The scales are not bone, but horn scales. I hope the hair line crack is not too bad.

I took another look at the ad, it does say horn scales. I didn't think bone would get that dark...

Not sure if you can make it out, but here is a picture of the crack

Originally Posted by Substance

Looks ok to me a good soak in neatsfoot oil for a week will do the horn scales a world a good before any other work is started to confirm the base you have
I have glue cracks & filled bug bits in horn with CA glue before sanding etc with no problems
So it should clean up well to a nice shaver

Should I just put the entire razor in a zip-loc bag and fill it up with neatsfoot oil?

No. Disassemble the razor and scrub the scales with fine steel wool or scotchbrite. Figure out where you want to repair. Epoxy or CA will stick better before oil is applied. Repair first. Apply whatever later. JMO

Originally Posted by sharptonn

No. Disassemble the razor and scrub the scales with fine steel wool or scotchbrite. Figure out where you want to repair. Epoxy or CA will stick better before oil is applied. Repair first. Apply whatever later. JMO

not sure I'm up to disassembling the razor, or reassembling to be specific. Once I have the razor in hand I'll have a better idea (although uneducated) as to what I have and what needs to be done. I'll be sending it out for honing at the very least, so a better man then I will also get hands on with the razor.

OK, so I received this razor about a week ago and I'm not sure what I want to do with it. It needs to get honed, no questions asked about that, but the scales are also warped. I'm not sure if I should try to get them straighten or not.

Are warped scales just a cosmetic issue? I can see where there could be some edge/scale contact which could damage the edge, but that should be avoided with extra care when closings the straight. If I decide to straighten the scales, what are the chances the end up needing to be replaced? The scales are horn and I'd like to keep them...

Sometimes its just cosmetic, even if the blade just rides one side when closing. If however the cutting edge will hit the scales at all then definitely address the issue. Easiest way I know is to go ahead and disassemble the razor, apply heat to the scales, hold them in a fixed position, either straight or sometimes its necessary to slightly overcompensate for the curve as it will have some "rebound" once cooled. Allow the scales to fully cool while being held in the new position. Test the assembly, readjust where needed. I've had moderate success leaving razors assembled and heating the scales, holding in a fixed position and rapidly cooling while holding. This may not be effective on substantially curved scales like yours, so id do the dissassembly.