Thread: Scale material

How far did you go on the inside of the scales? I find the color and look with translucent horn really needs close to the same finish as the faces otherwise it looks cloudy when looking at the razor through the scales.

Screwing up is part of the fun. Your next set will be better because you made mistakes. I tend to get lazy when things go well then the mistakes follow.

Not that I've done many horn scales from modern material. But I've yet seen any that yield the clarity that vintage scales do.

Originally Posted by jfk742

How far did you go on the inside of the scales? I find the color and look with translucent horn really needs close to the same finish as the faces otherwise it looks cloudy when looking at the razor through the scales.

Screwing up is part of the fun. Your next set will be better because you made mistakes. I tend to get lazy when things go well then the mistakes follow.

Almost nothing on the inside.

I’ve got some pretty evenly translucent vintage scales too. They are pretty cool. I am guessing there was a process to make them like that, and then they were dyed black.
When I stop making mistakes it will be because I stopped doing and learning, at which point it will be close to time to nail the lid closed.
I agree with John on the inside of the horn scales impacting the appearance of the outside.

Yeah, I wondered about the clarity aspect. Never seemed to get new horn as translucent as the vintage comes back to. It seems almost milky while sometimes vintage is almost clear. Do you think it was more hot pressed or something? That was what I figured because it seems more dense a lot of times too. In truth if you knew you might wish you didn't. There used to be a LOT of industrial practices commonly used that we would gasp at today. Many of them worked really well though.

I haven’t had issue with finding transparent horn, the problems seem to be with the inclusions. I’ve had a couple of sets that were a beautiful honey with streaks, very similar to the Duocon on the previous page that I posted. The clarity isn’t well represented in that particular photo, but they’re clear and don’t appear cloudy like they do in the picture. The problem I did have are inclusions. They’re slight but present none the less. I did surface the entire blank before profiling to see what I had and how I wanted the streaks to look. I was also able to see most of the inclusions and was able work around the worst offenders.

As far as finishing the inside of the scales, think of them as if they were a dirty window. You wouldn’t just clean one side and leave the other dirty. It would be very apparent that you half-assed it. Another thing to think about is what the finish will do when it gets wet. Say you leave a rough finish on the inside ie 320 grit, which is fairly fine but in no way transparent, much more opaque. What you’re seeing is the stria left over from sanding and they are a series of hills and valleys amd everyone of those valleys can trap water, and surface tension of the water keeps it there, right next to your blade. At least that’s the way I think of it so I finish the interior to the same level of the exterior of for nothing less than protecting the blade if I make a mistake and leave water inside the scales. That being said, I’ve not had any issue with that particular problem on my rotation regardless of the scales and their finish on the interior. I am also not one to be overly concerned with tarnish or rust and I only wipe the blade and tang clean after shaving. Any leftover moisture is usually evaporated by the time I’m done stropping it befor it gets put back on the shelf.

Yeah I get what you're saying. I always finish the inside also plus usually hit them on the buffer with emery the rouge and then plain loose cotton. That not withstanding I notice the ones I have reworked still seem more clear. Maybe it's anecdotal...or maybe I just suck at buying horn.

Is it that blue iridescent color that shows up? I get that on black horn, often.

The other thing I notice is, often the horn isn’t done shrinking or curing yet when I first receive it. I let my horn sit out for a while before I even think of using it. It helps with warping I’ve found and having to trim wedges after the shrinking has stopped on finished sets of scales. It sure if that is wide spread among us or maybe the shrinking is due to my finishing process but I’d be surprised as the only sanding lubricant I use is water.

Don't recall seeing blue iridescence. Just with blonde horn. It's the cloudiness I'm talking about. Maybe that's what it is, that it just hasn't finished curing yet. I wonder though if a hot press method might help with that.