Thread: Inlays in horn

Originally Posted by Geezer

The subject has come up before.

One method that ... snip ...

Another was to press a soft metal into the relieved area ( the opening was undercut around the edges, with a decorative punch.
There are some that are both methods combined.
There must be more ways also.
Have fun!
~Richard

Thanks Richard!
I've considered using independent pins or pins that are a part of the back of the inlay.

When you say "undercut" does that mean the edge goes in to make a slight inverted lip to catch the edge of the inlay? ... this is what I imagined.
Either that or possibly the inlay could have a bevel on the top edge and the horn could be heated and pressed down and over that bevel to lock the inlay in place..

Just ideas, I realize without the knowledge I could be commenting on something that is already well known.

I could not find pics. I should have to take some more as I get home...

Anyway, ran across this one. The inlays go clean through the horn....

Oooo I like that one! Looks fairly easy to do.. just drill the holes, clean them up, and tap the metal rods in.

Hey you know what would be cool, if you guys have different examples of various forms of inlays. These rod style inlays are a good example of variability..

Edit:
I thought about tapping in a rod like that at the wedge in place of a standard pin. Have seen that before.
Great concept to work with!

Not really inlays, are they?

A long-ago member replicated those scales and deemed them junk. Did an awesome job!
I begged for them on customs and restos.
He sent them to me from Europe!

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Not really inlays, are they?

A long-ago member replicated those scales and deemed them junk. Did an awesome job!
I begged for them on customs and restos.
He sent them to me from Europe!

Junk??? Hmmm that's a dubious appraisal. I think they look great, there may be trade-offs with any design depending on the value given to any one aspect.

On that one I notice that the two scales "might" have different flex strengths due to the oversized pin inlays only on one side, which could lead to one scale finding a different flex resting place..
Perhaps put them on the other side too?
No need probably.. it's an awesome design in my book.

Lots of bug damage and de-lamination on them. CA and dyed epoxy got them going again.
One of those 'Butchered Blades' razors!

Good questions!
These pewter inlays are combination of pins rivited on the backside and pressing into the recess. They seem to have undercut the openings so the pieces are firmly controlled for the last century.



And, yes the shrinkage is different between the scales:


YMMV
Have fun!
~Richard

Excellent! Thank you again Richard.

Though it presents the need for more work, I tend to like symmetry.. so an equal inlay on each side..?

Does anyone have the temperature that horn becomes plasticized? And then what range do we have to work with before it is too soft and/or begins to burn or bubble?

Not that it would be necessary.. but a laser temp reader might be handy in that regard.

How about carving a recess with undercut perimeter to key the inlay into the scale, then pour melted pewter into the recess? The melting point of pewter is 338-447F. Paper burns at 451F, I'm assuming horn would burn near or beyond that point, but I'm not sure. If so carve away in the horn, pour pewter in, then sand pewter flush and polish. This is all speculation, never tried it myself but worth a try.

Shrinkage is a real issue. With wood if you use a thin enough veneer it will do whatever the substrate does without buckling or cracking. That being said the few razors I have that have inlay in horn use thin metal with tabs on the back, they also appear to be inletted into the horn. All the ones I have have buckled from the horn shrinking but the scales haven’t seemed to warp near as bad as the one geezer had a pic of.

I would use a sharp exacto knife and inlet the inlay flush and use tabs to hold it as opposed to epoxy with the idea that the horn will shrink. The other option is to use old horn scales that have already shrunk, they should be more stable. Keep them hydrated with nearsfoot should move too much on you.

I have a set that need to be restored on a faux frameback. If I get to it before you do I’ll make sure to report back.