Thread: help with polishing scales

Does anyone know anything about polishing razor scales;waxes,compound grit sticks,metal polish,ectTHANKS.

Depending on how bad they are I sand with medium grit to fine. Then polish with mothers or some other metal polish. Works on horn, bone, celluloid, bakalite, etc.

Sounds like a winner have all that -----------will give it a try

I start with a good cleaning WD40 and 0000 steel wool, then simple green and water.

Sand lightly with 1 & 2k wet & dry, polish with Mothers and paper towel, then Novus No. 3 and finish with Novus No.2 with a micro fiber of cotton cloth. Novus no. 1 is good for light cleaning and polish followed by no. 2. You don’t need much. Just a dab.

You can buy the 3 bottle trial 2oz. pack for $10.

Novus is specifically made for polishing clear Plexiglas works great on all plastic and horn.

Euclid440 has a good method. I use many different ones also depending on the scales themselves.
Wash the scales first, citrus cleaner, if they are limescaled use vinegar then cleaner...Use a pipe cleaner on the inside.
Use toothpaste to get the first shine on them and then the polish.

Old hard rubber ( black) scales do need the sanding to get below the oxidized top layer( orangeish) and so I like to start with 600-1k Wet or Dry and go upward from there. The devil is in getting around the pins! 00 then 000 then 0000 steel wool will do that.
You will do what it takesd and find differing methods for yourself as time passes.

~Richard

What material are the scales made of?

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

What material are the scales made of?

Most intelligent reply here. A picture and description are mandatory as giving ANY advise, guys.
Horn scales would have a vastly different answer than Bone, Bakelite or Celluloid.

Answers willy-nilly will not help someone do what needs to be done with what he has in-hand. JMO
So, OP. Tell them what you have and produce a pic?

Do you get the novus at local stores or do the internet?Thanks

I was given a trial pack, from my son in law who said he got it at Restoration Hardware. I found the larger 8oz bottles at The Container Store, 7-8 dollars for 8oz of no. 3.

I like to use a clean polishing wheel on the grinder. But that's after sanding all the way up to 4000 grit. But when using the wheel on a finish (like CA) never let it sit for too long on one spot. And also, when in doubt... start with a finer grit. Blades are a good example, I've screwed up and went way too low (80 grit) and spent forever trying to get those scratches out! Did the same with scales.