Thread: Fixing a weird hole in old french scales

So i got this old razor for very cheap, the razor was all worn off from excessive honing and was basically dead, but the razor wasn't the point. It came on a very nice pair of an early french scales I wanted to use for an orphan early french razor.
The german razor was clearly not the original and obviously too short for them, so whoever owned it decided to make a custom spacer with a steel rod right above the bottom pivot..
Removing the razor and the spacer without causing any damage to the scales was one of the hardest removals I've ever done! Boy that steel rod was thick and tight but after putting a decent amount of time using a Dremel with a very thin disc I managed to remove the spacer with one small overheating damage to one of the holes (yes I have an jewelers saw and yes I wasn't thinking of it at that moment ).

Now I have a pair of good early scales but with two freaking holes in it. My first thought was using a silver steel rod and just make a flat pin on both sides, but I wasn't sure how "authentic" it would look. I've read that some members recommended using a horn dust to fill imperfections on scales but never really delve into it.
Would love to hear some thought or helpful tips on how I can decently repair it

I repaired some black horn using ebony dust and super glue. It seemed that when i used horn dust it came out grey.

Originally Posted by tintin

I repaired some black horn using ebony dust and super glue. It seemed that when i used horn dust it came out grey.

Dust from the scales or a horn blank??

Originally Posted by JP5

Dust from the scales or a horn blank??

The horn dust i tried was from another broken black horn scale.

I've repaired black horn with bog Oak and epoxy, then a thin coat of CA over the top so it would polish up.

wow Thats impressive. I cant even see where the chip was!

Originally Posted by outback

I've repaired black horn with bog Oak and epoxy, then a thin coat of CA over the top so it would polish up.

This deserves its own thread!

I would put tape on flat side. Fill hole 1/2 way with Superglue and let dry. With fine tip marker color Superglue in hole. Top off with more Superglue. When dry, sand and polish. The black marker makes the repair look solid black and blends in with rest of scales.

Originally Posted by outback

I've repaired black horn with bog Oak and epoxy, then a thin coat of CA over the top so it would polish up.

Wow that's an amazing repair! Can you kindely explain a bit more about the process? How did you use that bog Oak to make the filling material, what was the ratio of the oak/epoxy? And sorry for the silly question, but what exactly is CA coating and where can I get it?

Originally Posted by OrSh

Wow that's an amazing repair! Can you kindely explain a bit more about the process? How did you use that bog Oak to make the filling material, what was the ratio of the oak/epoxy? And sorry for the silly question, but what exactly is CA coating and where can I get it?

The repair is covered on page 1266, post # 12655, in the workshop thread...what are you working on.!!

CA, is super glue. You apply it with a finger while wearing latex gloves. There's videos on using it for a finish on scales, all over the web. So quick...so easy.