Thread: Scales what are they made of (Slater Brothers straight razor)

Below are scales from straight razor I disassembled for restoring. They looks like sort of synthetic substance. They were made in XIX century if I am right. My plan is to use fine sandpaper for smoothing and polishing them and then probably diamond paste or Autosol (it's similar to Maas). Will be Autosol/Maas safe for use on these scales?

By the white scratches on last pic , I'd say horn. If so:
Wet sand as fine as possible . They will stink. Then soak in neatsfoot oil a few days.

Agreed. White scratch was a giveaway

Also looks like some bug action by the pivot.

When I keep them against light, edges of the scales are semi translucent, brown with darker streaks. Have a look at third picture there are letters AC & Co. When I saw that I assumed its sort of synthetic made in mould. Could this be a pressed horn?
Any ideas where in Europe can I buy neatsfoot oil because shipping costs from US are very prohibitive.

Originally Posted by cthulhu

When I keep them against light, edges of the scales are semi translucent, brown with darker streaks. Have a look at third picture there are letters AC & Co. When I saw that I assumed its sort of synthetic made in mould. Could this be a pressed horn?
Any ideas where in Europe can I buy neatsfoot oil because shipping costs from US are very prohibitive.

There are 6 members in Ireland. You may want to try one of them.
Here is a link to get names.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/memberlist.php?do=search

Try Amazon for the oil.

You have some minor delamination of the horn scales so rubbing them down with wet and dry paper should help with that. If sanding the inside edges make sure you do not round at the wedge end otherwise there will be gaps when you refit the wedge.

Once the insides are cleaned up, stick the two scales together with double sided tape so that when you are sanding the outsides you maintain the same shape on both scales. You may also want to line the insides with masking tape before using the double sided tape - it's easier to get off and as you already have some delamination, you could make things worse.

Autosol will be fine to bring the shine back - but work up to fine grit paper before - 1200 or even higher depending on what finish you want.

Guys!
Many thanks for useful informations, once I finish restore of this scales (with razor of course) I'll show results.

You can always confirm they are horn by lightly sanding them. If they smell like wet dog, they're horn.