What Neatsfoot Oil Does

I've read about what Neetsfoot Oil can do and have used it sparingly for some minor cleanups of horn scales. But last week I got a pair of Graves in, and decided to soak both in Neatsfoot with the blades attached so that I could see if the scales were with saving. One is either real tortoise shell or blonde horn made to look like it, and the other is blonde horn with some embossing. I'd like to save both if they are in shape to be saved.

I put each into its own double baggie and added Neatsfoot. Both were very dry, heavily encrusted, neither were translucent, and both looked like my kids' noses did after a long night of runny noses. After 4 days of soaking in a warm room, here's where they're at today. That's quite a transformation! Tomorrow I'll pull them both out, drain, dry, and see whew we're at. Just thought it was interesting.

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That's what I do and then follow up with micro-mesh, carnauba wax and a dry cloth.

I add the wiki for Neat's foot oil because ,yes, it is interesting stuff. It's kind of like WD40, you just have to have some on hand.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neatsfoot_oil

Great article 10pups! I didn't know any of that.

Well here's what the blades came out like. Much better. The blonde scales have some big bug bites that I'll have to fix with CA but otherwise I think I can save them both. A good outcome unless I screw them up! Still have to clean up both blades but that's not a big deal judging from what I see on their surfaces.

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Well here's a new one for me. I started to take apart the tortoise shell looking scales and found a second pin hidden beneath the big bullseye washer. I was working very gently but the scale still broke off at the end. Anyone see this before? I'm thinking the owner saw a crack, put in a second pin and covered it up with a bullseye. Odd. The picture shows the second pin after I removed the washer. The other side now has a piece missing. Oh we'll. I have a decent half of a scale.

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One I removed the scale here's what is there. You can see the second pin goes into the other scale but not through it.

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I've seen it before on an old Bengall, the scales were a wedgeless design.

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Thanks baxxer, these are without a wedge as well. I wonder why, maybe for stabilization?

That's what I assumed it was for.