No dremmel, Marty. All hand polished. Lots of time and patience.Quote:
Originally Posted by Euclid440
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No dremmel, Marty. All hand polished. Lots of time and patience.Quote:
Originally Posted by Euclid440
Not sure what is going on here, anyone on the board seen this before?
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These are the original horn scales from a John Heiffor 'Army' razor. I put them in some warm soapy water to give them a clean - they were filthy - and a layer has started peeling off. Is this a lacquer layer? Or years of dirt? Or just a layer of the horn?
The scales seem to be nice amber horn underneath. The dark layer extends over much of, but not all of the scales. Notably, it is not present where the scales were next to the wedge.
Knowing will help in deciding how to deal with it.
Many thanks!
It looks like dye or colour at coming off. I presume more will be discovered with S good scrubbing.
It does seem like a coloured surface layer. I took the scales out of the the soapy water pending further information. Let's see it it either rubs or sands off. Amber would be much nicer than scruffy brown.Quote:
Originally Posted by RezDog
I love the smell of Tru-Oil in the morning!
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I was really missing wood, so found this really nice Crown and Sword #3 to put in some English Walnut. I'm about done with the blade, and just did my 1st sanding coat with the TO to try to fill that curly grain a little. This dry windy day should allow me to get some coats laid down and do some drying in between on the deck. I hope smelling this stuff doesn't cause brain damage-I do love the scent of it!
Funny-My fishing buddies asked me to go after muskie in the mountains with them today, but they are freezing to death and getting skunked lol!
I really like the form of your scales!Quote:
Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad
That grain is going to look great! Can't wait for the final product.Quote:
Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad
Thanks, schwabenchris-To be honest, I sort of copied that style from some of JOB15's scales, or else looking at Brad Maggard's restoration gallery. And both of them got me doing brass-lined wedges too-they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!Quote:
Originally Posted by schwabenchris
The scales are looking good AARon, I can’t help but wonder if that picture is off or if the blade has a pronounced frown?
I have found some lovely mottled scales under dingy black and brown scales. To think they used to dye them all black and cover some really great natural colour.
Thanks, Shaun-I saw the same thing and re-checked. No frown lol-it's ruler-straight.Quote:
Originally Posted by RezDog
Take them apart, sand with 220, 400, 600, 000 steel wool, then soak for up to a week in 100% neatsfoot oil.Quote:
Originally Posted by Montgomery
If you want them black again, put them in hair dye before the oil.
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Once out of the oil, then polish/ buff.
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Works for scales as far back as the late 1700s.
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Looks like a Chupacabra to me…
Maybe someone is trying to tell you something. Better start swinging that chicken over your head.
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Spooky, I was already thinking that this razor might be haunted, and that sanding the scales might liberate a demon trapped inside with brown dye by a malevolent Sheffield horn worker...Quote:
Originally Posted by Euclid440
Many thanks! That was essentially the plan, good to have it confirmed.Quote:
Originally Posted by outback
Never herd of that creature. But now i got to google some pics.
Yea we have Chupacabra's running around down on the south side of town here! They come up from Mexico to steal newborn babies and pets.
The dreaded goat sucker!
When I lived on the Mexican border, they were quite common.
You never saw a stray dog in Laredo
Nah...this us a chupacabra.Quote:
Originally Posted by Euclid440
Attachment 315254
Obviously, a very young one.
From the late 1700s....young.
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This arrived today. So far I just sealed the label. There is a slight dish on the top side so tomorrow I'll lap it. I've been able to go from a 1k bevel to a shavable blade with a No.1 Washita. I'm looking forward to playing with this and seeing how far the edge will go.
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Just lap the bottom.
Nice find.
and the shaving brush is finished! :)
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Looks nice my friend :bow:Quote:
Originally Posted by randydance062449
I look forward to seeing how this restoration progresses, in particular because I assume that some strength is needed here, and filling the holes with resin on its own will not be enough.Quote:
Originally Posted by outback
Epoxy n horn dust, with a CA coating, made the repair.
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This is after the repair. Left scale.
You'd be surprised at what can be done with horn, and epoxy. A backer is not always needed, for strength.
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Mike, you are a magician with horn repairs.
Good job, Mike
Think you'll be surprised, Matt.
Try finishing with pure glycerin, instead of oil.
Its got to stay all original, if I can. Making new scales is simple, but saving the originals is what I prefer to do.Quote:
Originally Posted by DZEC
Thanks! Care to elaborate as to why i should only lap the bottom? I was going to do the same thing i have done with my other washy. The top side will be burnished and the bottom side ill hit every now and then with a diamond plate to refresh the surface. The No.1 washita cuts pretty fast on the refreshed side, the burnished side is very slow. I will occasionally refresh the burnished side with just a few circles with a 600k rubbing stone and water. Same plans for the Lily White.Quote:
Originally Posted by Euclid440
Ive never used oil on my stones. Only vegetable glycerin and water.. I believe i learned that from you.Quote:
Originally Posted by outback
“Care to elaborate as to why i should only lap the bottom?”
Because it is flatter already. Never burnished a Lilly White. From the White I go to a Translucent or Surgical Black, that has a 600 and a burnished side.
If you are going to use both sides, then you will have to flatten both sides. 60 grit loose Silicone Carbide on a steel cookie sheet will get you flat quickly.
Har.! May have been. I don't care for oil on my Washita, either. At least, not the one I use for razor's.Quote:
Originally Posted by MW76
Gotcha. That makes sense. I do want to use both sides though. My other two arkie type stones have a burnished side (top) and a refurbished side (bottom).Quote:
Originally Posted by Euclid440
I have SiC and float glass. Im also hoping the lapping will lighten up the surfaces a little. Under a scope i can see the usual quartz matrix and some small black inclusions which im assuming are left over swarf from previous use.
We shall see..
The starts aligned and the wife (yes by the way i got married) is at a class this evening so im fixing up this Washy.
Dirty dirty stone.
Attachment 315315
After about 45 minutes on 90 grit SiC on the bottom which was the 'Flat' side..
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Dressed up the edges on the bottom.. still need to hit the top. To me it looks like a big white razor honing candy bar.
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Comparing the color to the No.1 grade Washita.
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Thanks for looking. I truly missed sharing this stuff with you guys, or anyone for that matter.
Feeling a little horse today.
;)
Slicing up some horse hide into 2.5” wide strips for strops.
Proving a challenge one handed and also scary to start as until you do, you haven’t buggered anything up either hehe.
Cheers gents.
Impressive! What kind of oil do you use? How to use hair dye for this purpose?Quote:
Originally Posted by outback
100% neatsfoot oil.Quote:
Originally Posted by esveka
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Follow directions on box, but let them soak in solution for an hour or more.
I do mine in a zip lock bad, inside a plastic container.
You don't want this stuff to touch "anything" you don't want black. Especially your skin.
After u rinse, u can either polish the scales, or leave them a matte finish.
If your going to do any repairs using CA, you'll have to do them after dying the horn. Dye will not penetrate CA, but will epoxy.
Here's what happens if you do the CA, before dye.
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Just learned that the hard way! Not really a problem, because the scales I'm working on have nibbles out the edges, no big nibbles out of the visible sides.Quote:
Originally Posted by outback
I did have problems with the hair dye taking, it stained some parts of the scales and not others:
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Part of the problem was some CA on the inside of the scales. I sanded this off, and tried again, and got a slight improvement, but not much. I did a bit of research and found one source which said that horn will not take dye if it is polished too highly (https://sharprazorpalace.com/attachm...pamphlet-1.pdf) I had got a pretty nice finish on the scales, so I roughed them up a bit again, and the dye took a little better, but still only in patches, though they are now darker:
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Anyone else experienced this? Is this just life in the big city?
