Thread: Horn scale finish?

Hello restorers,
I have a cased pair of T Turner's "ENCORE" from ~1887 numbered 1 and 2 with Etched Blades VR Jubilee and they have what look like plastic scales.
My question is:
The beveled edge scales are shiny and look plasticy
There are faint long curved grain lines like the material is actually horn.
I have a couple other razors with similar crazing lines but they are flat finished and not shiny.

Does anyone have a similar set of scales and what did you find out and do to them to make nice or leave as original. I really hate plastic on some old blades. Especially a great pair of razors.
Thanks
~Richard

Here is a razor that I thought had some sort of plastic scales, but turned out that they were actually horn. The beveled edges are what made me think they were plastic. All I had to do was sand them lightly and polish them. If yours are horn I would treat them like any other set of horn scales. The picture is horrible.

Might just be horn polished to perfection. They can be mistaken for plastic/cell!
Let's see a picture! I might recommend to do nothing except wax them!

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Might just be horn polished to perfection. They can be mistaken for plastic/cell!
Let's see a picture! I might recommend to do nothing except wax them!

Will do a photo Sunday some time.

~Richard

I have recently done a few sets of horn scales. The ones that are straight black look very much like plastic. It should smell like hair on a hot pin test if it is horn but not a great test for a perfect set of scales.

Yeah hot pin on the inside of the scales should make them obvious if it's horn or plastic ...don't press down hard because it may melt into the scales

Here it is:
~Richard
PS. Thanks for the answers so far!

I have some Sheffield razors with that type of scales on them, all have lead wedges too. I think it is just a matter of how they were finished at the factory and how dry they got over the years.

Anyway had a look at my Thomas Turner and a W&B with similar scales but less polished. Looking at the beveled edge on the scales with a 30x lighted loupe and both seem to have grain with the W&B having a couple of small flea bites. From that I take it to mean that both sets of scales are horn. Nothing as conclusive as using a hot pin though.

Bob

Am certain Richard Knows the diff between Horn and plastic,They look like horn.
But I would de-pin that blade and round off the edges,are IMO, way to angular which will create more reflection.

I like them. Those thinner horn scales like that are very nice. I am having a friend make some like that for me at present!