Thread: Scale repair question

I just recieved this Eiko today. The one scale is broke. It's a clean break and I want to know before I attempt to use CA to make the repair, what would you all do?
I would like to keep the scales as I think they're pretty cool. Most of my collection has plain scales.

So, Make new scales or repair?

by the way tape is holding it together and thats not the repair I was looking for

Scales are probably some sort of plastic. It seems to postdate celluloid. Nothing to be lost by trying CA, IMO. Worst thing possible is it will work, or long enough to make new scales using them as templates! Post it in the Workshop. Probably more responses there!

If glue doesn't work, you could try a number of organic solvents on a test patch on the inside of the scale. If you find one that dissolves or softens the plastic, you can use a very small amount to fuse the crack.

Some plastics you can heat and fuse. Plastic weld. Some work better with glue. The fun is learning what it is made of and what will work. If glue holds it but it needs more strength you may be able to hot knife it on the inside. Which in short is: melting it and mixing by spreading back and forth across the crack with a knife hot enough to melt it. Just don't burn it. And try not to breath any of it while you work it :<0)

I did do as Sharptonn suggested and post this in the workshop so hope i dont cause issues. maybe this could me moved to the workshop?
Thanks for all the replies! I'll give CA a try and move on to fusing with heat if the CA doesnt hold. new scales will be last on the list. I have some bone I might be able to use to replace them with, but i'm not sure if they'll be wide enough to mimic the shape.

Moved to the workshop and Duplicate taken care of


You really need to figure out what the scale is made of Celluloid, Catalin, Plastics, Acrylics, Bakelite, Vulcanite

Smell is a good clue

Be careful here,because what might work on one can destroy another..

Glenn thanks for moving it don't man to be PITA.

I'm leaning toward they're plastic or an acrylic but I don't know why. The design is green with long black streaks, looks to refined to be Celluloid , vulcanite I think I can cross off Catilan not sure what that is, I'll have to look it up...

The scales are not celluloid, but also not acrylic as far as I can tell.
I think an attempt to repair with CA will not hurt if it does not work.

For extra strength, glue the broken side to the wedge before re-assembly and pinning.

I think I will unpin it to make the repair. It'll give me the chance to give the scales a good cleaning and repair it more easily and get the blade polished up. The pin job is not that attractive looking anyway.

Thanks for the help!