Thread: A few pretty tortoise scale "reference shots"

I recently picked up this American Products 5/8ths spike on the chance that the scales were authentic tortoise, and they are! I think it's pretty rare to find them with this much translucence and sharpness, as they often darken with age, and that threw me.

Wanted to share this with others who may be wondering about some specifics to look for when checking for real tortoise, as I was.

- Thin, flat scales, with a slight bevel at the edge
- Scales have some flex, but noticeably firmer than plastic
- Translucent (though usually darker than in this example)
- The spots go through the entire thickness of the scale, not just the surface
- Sharp, irregular edges to the spots, like splattered ink rather than stripes or round blobs
- A slight reddish bleeding on the edges of some of the spots

Pics:

how did you confirm they were real?

Sorry, but that doesn't look like any real tortoise shell I've seen. In fact it looks like most of the fake stuff though.

This is real tortoise shell:

Originally Posted by IsaacRN

how did you confirm they were real?

My question also! I have some celluloid that look like that

"Sharp, irregular edges to the spots, like splattered ink rather than stripes or round blobs"

That also seems way off to me. Check out all this tortoise shell:

Tortoiseshell

There isn't one example that isn't the opposite of your description.

I'll have to look in that razor guide book I have at home. I could be wrong, but I seem to recall they had pics of tortoise shell scales that DID look like the ones he posted on the razor.

Chris L

I really don't understand what the question is here, nor the discussion, you can "Look" all ya want, or you can test the scales.... They are either real Tortoise or they are Celluloid, and it is rather easy to tell the difference between the two...

Tortoise or Celluloid, I like the looks of those scales nevertheless.

How do you test scales to know if they are or are not real tortoise?
Thanks!

yea I agree thems not Tortise. Actually real tortise doesn't have to be tested because they look so different than the usual cellulid-tortise like the one the poster was talking about. First tortise hasn't been used in ages so unless you have a one in a million set they will be dull and not transparent at all. They would require polishing on the inside and outside to bring them back to high polish. Also they will have a darker base color to them. Once you see them you won't mistake them again.