A question about custom scales ....

Hello all,

Today i have been working on some old decrepit razors trying to salvage what i can.

This is a scale that i have a question about.

Attachment 314905


This is a design that many of us have seen before. But ..... i took it to the buffer with some black buffing compound and the result was surprising .....

Attachment 314906

The buffing compound obviously became embedded in the pattern but what struck me was the level of detail that became apparent.

This reminded me of the multi color scales we have seen from makers like Tadross.

So, does anyone have a suggestion on how i can make the black color permanent?

Depending on the material you could possibly use a dye or paint; rub on and wipe off, similar to the antiquing or weathering process used in other crafts.

From the world of gun engraving I read one persons method of making his blacking permanent and that was to take some Testors black enamel paint and combine it with equal parts of dry powder coating, mix, then thin to the desired consistency with paint thinner apply to your workpiece and wipe off the excess. Then bake in an oven at some temp/time combo.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by thehattr

Depending on the material you could possibly use a dye or paint; rub on and wipe off, similar to the antiquing or weathering process used in other crafts.

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Analine dye?

Enamel paint then wipe and bake?

Is it a plastic material?

I'd say enamel paint would probably be your best bet. It seems it's a common method for model making. Using an enamel wash and then letting it dry for a 15-45 minutes and removing the excess with a cotton ball or qtip and some paint thinner.

Before you wreck the scales

You cannot use any Naptha, Toluene, Acetone type solutions on Celluloid it will destroy them REALLY fast

Basically rule of thumb, "If you sniff it and you jerk your nose away Keep it off the scales until you test it"

Well, I did not think these were celluloid so I tried naptha and acetone on different areas.

Boy was I wrong!

The acetone started melting the scales immediately! :)

I wonder how Antoni Tadross made those multicolored scales? Hmmmm .....


Attachment 314907

Yes any chemical and plastic is a no no :)

What sprung to my modest mind was Rub n Buff.. Of the top of my head.

I've done it with a sharpie, and denatured alcohol.
Color in a bit, then quickly wipe with alcohol dampened rag, then do another section.

Gotta work quick, though.!

Attachment 314908

I have had good luck with a sharpie, blacken the part you want darkened, then with WD40 on a paper towel remove the ink from the tops of the relief. You can adjust the amount of darkening, by adding and removing the ink with WD40 on the towel.

If you want to remove it all, hose it with WD40 and scrub with a toothbrush.

A toothbrush and Simple Green will remove the greased compound or just clean them up for good paint / ink adhesion.

I have also had good results with Acrylic paint, about a buck a bottle. Walmart and a Craft Store will have a selection of colors, I like various hues of brown. Dry brush the scales with one-inch chip brush with the bristles cut short, about ½ inch.

Wipe the relief with a paper towel and Simple Green. Once it dries, it is pretty durable. Again, if you do not care for the look, a quick soak in 50 % Simple Green and water and a good toothbrush scrub will remove it all.

A thin wash seems to provide the best look and makes the relief pop. Acrylic is more of a mat finish and looks very well.

I've got 6 or 7 of these type scales. Guess I need to break out the colors.

Wondering how white would look on the black set I have? :hmmm:

An Ivory or grey might look better than a milk white, on black.

I have done a bit of antique Faux finishes, on furniture and other items, greys and light brown work well for an Antique aged finish where you want it to look like settled dust or to make a relief pop. A Dove grey is my go-to color for that look, then thinned browns or black until the look you want is achieved. It is more about removing paint judicially, than putting it on.

If you use acrylic, you have a lot of open time to experiment with color and coverage, (20-30 minutes). Building thin layers gives more depth.

Rubnbuff........Try soft wax. Yeah!