Thread: I Didn't Sand Before I Soaked

In my zeal to liven-up some old, dyed-horn scales, I failed to read ALL of "TFM" and, as a result, I soaked them in neatsfoot oil first, and only afterward discovered the "sand first, then soak" dictum.

Is this the end of the Earth? Will the sky fall, if I now go to sand them? Are there caveats about sanding post-soaking? (and, if so, what are they?)

PS: That neatsfoot oil sure makes 'em look purty

I will be watching for an answer but id think it would be ok. Now if you were going to dye then i know you would be in trouble.

Before or after sanding no difference in my opinion. I sometimes do bug bite repairs before and sometimes after. Never had a problem with either.

Well, I didn't know that was a thing. I'll be following this thread. Good topic @JBHoren

I started soaking scales yesterday without cleaning anything. My theory was to refresh them a bit before I started scrubbing on them to protect them, as they are pretty dry and a maybe delaminating.

I just looked around at some posts and I see some folks sanding first, some soaking first and some sanding with oil after soaking. Is there a consensus? What is TFM?

Originally Posted by MrHouston

I just looked around at some posts and I see some folks sanding first, some soaking first and some sanding with oil after soaking. Is there a consensus? What is TFM?

It's part of "RTFM" -- an acronym for "Read The eFfing Manual". As a former-techwriter and retired Unix/Linux sysadmin, it was the the usual ending to this generic conversation:

User: I can't __________
Me: Did you read the user manual?
User: No
Me: RTFM

Na, your fine.

I buy old Sheffield’s. First, I hose them down with WD40 especially between the scales wait a few mins then wrap a wooden coffee stir stick with a corner of paper towel and scrape out all the gunk. Spray em down again and clean with a clean towel.

Scrape off any rust from the blade with a single edge razor blade and WD40 soaked piece of 000 steel wool.

Now toss the whole thing in a heavy-duty zip-loc bag and add couple ounces of neatsfoot or Ballistol, enough to cover the whole razor. Depending on condition leave for 24 hrs to a month. Save the oil and reuse on the next one.

When you take them out you can wipe and let dry for an hour or so, then sand with 4 & 600, buff with stainless steel Green bar compound on a 6in wheel.

They will gleam like glass. If I am making repairs I wait a couple days for them to dry, repair with CA and horn powder. Sand over a clean cookie sheet and save the sanding dust for filling holes and repairs.

To fill a hole tape the back with masking tape, pack with horn dust then apply thin CA, hit with activator, sand and fill again until you get the results you want.

For black scales you can touch up with a sharpie then cover with a drop of CA and sand with 600. You can buff 600 grit WD, with a buffer or by hand with a good metal polish and paper towel. Repairs are invisible. You can also shape by scraping and file with a metal file, then finish sand with 600.

Horn is very forgiving and easy to work, does smell though.

Sanding before opens the horn allowing for deeper penetration of the oil..
Sanding after 24 hours soaking with a higher grit, then soaking again really helps with the final look..

The "Manual"on Horn, is pretty forgiving BUT you should do repairs before the oil if you expect the glue to stick

I like to unpinn and scrub them with a degreaser, then make them straight n flat, do any needed repairs, sand, then soak.

Yea, they will all come apart eventually cleaned, blades sanded and polished, scales sanded, repaired or new horn replacements made.
I don’t like to store them dirty and especially rusty. In addition to re-hydrating the scales, oil helps arrest rust at the pin and deep pitting.