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Thread: Newly arrived from England

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    Senior Member Dzanda's Avatar
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    Default RIGHT, AGAIN!



    You're all on the mark about the scales: I looked at their edges more closely, and there are indeed laminations consistent with horn. There's also a bug bite inside of the scales.

    I convinced myself that the scales were Bakelite because I haven't seen sharp, beveled edges on horn scales before, and because these are so DARK. I even tried shining a high intensity light through them to see if they were horn, but didn't appreciate any color variations.

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    Incidere in dimidium Cangooner's Avatar
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    If you don't already have some, get yourself some neatsfoot oil (make sure it's 100% neatsfoot oil, you'll find it at tack or leather stores) and give those scales a bath. It's the best thing for them and will bring them back to life.
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    It was in original condition, faded red, well-worn, but nice.
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    Senior Member Dzanda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cangooner View Post
    If you don't already have some, get yourself some neatsfoot oil (make sure it's 100% neatsfoot oil, you'll find it at tack or leather stores) and give those scales a bath. It's the best thing for them and will bring them back to life.
    I do have some pure barefoot oil; and now that I know that I'm dealing with horn, that's precisely what I plan to do!

    P.S. Neil is awesome..."Needle and the Damage Done" was one of the first songs that I learned for guitar!
    Last edited by Dzanda; 04-21-2014 at 02:54 AM.
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    Historically Inquisitive Martin103's Avatar
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    Very interesting razor and manufacturer as well, no so common. Came across a timeline and advertisement.
    Name:  joseph wood invented.JPG
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    Name:  joseph wood york.jpg
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    Name:  york razor.JPG
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    Last edited by Martin103; 04-21-2014 at 03:48 AM.

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    The Great & Powerful Oz onimaru55's Avatar
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    Similar design to William Wood of Liverpool. 86 miles away. Wonder if they were related.
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    Captain ARAD. Voidmonster's Avatar
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    Bravo Martin!

    That timeline suggests Dzanda's razor was made either before 1831 or after 1845.

    And Dzanda, as for the scales -- I'm pretty certain that a lot of the scales from that era were dyed deeper black. The insides of them aren't quite so uniform, pretty often. But there're a lot of mysteries to old horn scales.

    Working on restoring a much-abused old Wade & Butcher FBU, I found that there were initials as part of the mold for the scales "M S". Not scratched in, but raised like a printing die. In the 1820's, and presumably into the 1840's, that would have been Matthew Simpson: "Horn Haft and Scale Presser". I know Neil Miller has talked about finding initials scratched into scales before, but it was interesting to see them embossed in.

    Horn scales were their own separate industry.
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    Senior Member Dzanda's Avatar
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    Sure makes you wonder, doesn't it? We know of at least one son out of the eight offspring that Voidmonster mentioned, so it certainly seems possible. Though we could also be dealing with an entirely different line of Woods, I wouldn't bet on it.

    Quote Originally Posted by onimaru55 View Post
    Similar design to William Wood of Liverpool. 86 miles away. Wonder if they were related.

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    The Great & Powerful Oz onimaru55's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Voidmonster View Post
    And Dzanda, as for the scales -- I'm pretty certain that a lot of the scales from that era were dyed deeper black. The insides of them aren't quite so uniform, pretty often. But there're a lot of mysteries to old horn scales.
    Water buffalo horn is black but the younger part of the horn ie the centre is lighter in colour. Just a useless fyi .
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dzanda View Post
    Sure makes you wonder, doesn't it? We know of at least one son out of the eight offspring that Voidmonster mentioned, so it certainly seems possible. Though we could also be dealing with an entirely different line of Woods, I wouldn't bet on it.
    I went digging through the genealogy, and if they're related it's fairly distant. Joseph Wood's son was, indeed named William, but he spent most of his life in Manchester making surgical instruments. Joseph also had a brother named William, but he was also in Manchester, and doesn't seem to have married.
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    Quote Originally Posted by onimaru55 View Post
    Water buffalo horn is black but the younger part of the horn ie the centre is lighter in colour. Just a useless fyi .
    I have definitely come across some which had been dyed or even shellacked. A very light sanding, and suddenly the cracked black scales were translucent!
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    -Zak Jarvis. Writer. Artist. Bon vivant.

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