Thread: Scale material

This pdf has a wealth of info on working natural materials.
Page 18 under the heading of Horn books and Tablets mentions a process to increase transparency of horn.

https://www.florilegium.org/files/CR...n-pamphlet.pdf

I think I saved these scales. I reworked them for a smaller blade. This blade really didn't need anything but a good cleaning of the pivot. It was dressed in black celluloid. Since I really dislike plastic I figured why not.




The scales started to warp maybe from the heat of polishing and sanding. How do I flatten them?


Thanks John

There is a variety of methods. The most simple starts with warming them with a heat lamp and using a weight to flatten them. You can also use a clothes iron, or a hair straightener, or hot oil. The exact number escapes me, but I think the max temperature for horn is 325. I have used both oil and a clothes iron with success, the oil is a tricky one and tallow or lard is what they used way back when. I used mineral oil and a calibrated thermometer. The clothes iron can be checked with a non contact thermometer. If you ensure your temp is low enough you won’t cause the horn to bubble or delaminate. The hair straightener is likely not going to overheat the horn in a short time, it is after all for hair.

Originally Posted by RezDog

There is a variety of methods. The most simple starts with warming them with a heat lamp and using a weight to flatten them. You can also use a clothes iron, or a hair straightener, or hot oil. The exact number escapes me, but I think the max temperature for horn is 325. I have used both oil and a clothes iron with success, the oil is a tricky one and tallow or lard is what they used way back when. I used mineral oil and a calibrated thermometer. The clothes iron can be checked with a non contact thermometer. If you ensure your temp is low enough you won’t cause the horn to bubble or delaminate. The hair straightener is likely not going to overheat the horn in a short time, it is after all for hair.

Ok Heat lamp is out since I don't own one same goes for the hair straightener. That leaves oil or a Iron. Oil sounds complicated so an Iron it is.
Is as simple as getting the temp correct and pressing the scales till thy are flat?
I would assume that there should be some sort of fabric or something between the Iron and the scale?

Careful what you use to protect the iron from the horn, you can impress the materials pattern into the face.

Once they’re hot press them flat with something slightly heavier than needed to keep them that way and leave them like that until they cool. A few cycles may be needed. I find some of the warp may come back if you heat them up again on a buffer or the like, but if that happens you just flatten them again.

Originally Posted by jfk742

Careful what you use to protect the iron from the horn, you can impress the materials pattern into the face.

Once they’re hot press them flat with something slightly heavier than needed to keep them that way and leave them like that until they cool. A few cycles may be needed. I find some of the warp may come back if you heat them up again on a buffer or the like, but if that happens you just flatten them again.

So if just getting them to a certain temp under 325deg then flattening them under something while thy cool wouldn't the oven set to 300deg work just as well?

You can get them so hot you can't touch them.
I prefer the iron. Heat till horn is flexible, and to the point were you can only touch them for a few seconds. My skin it pretty tough, and callused.


If there badly warped, let them sit after flattening. Seems most will warp again, overnight

The oven can work. The temp range is wide. 250 to 325 is what I remember, so it’s not completely accurate. I did not include that one because I killed a beautiful set of scales in the oven. It’s kind of like taosting nuts under the broiler, there is only a short time frame between prefect amd charcoal.

Is there a tread or sticky that I can read through to see the process to use the Iron? If there is I can't find it.

Let see if I can push along the drip feed of info with some specific questions.

Do thy need to be protected from the iron while heating? if so How?
What setting to you all put the iron on? As high as it goes?
Do you have the steam on?
How how long do thy need to stay under the weighted object for cooling?

Or Would it be best to Just toss them into the trash and start over?

Thanks again
John

If you monitor the iron for a bit with a touch less thermometer you will see the range it is running in. As long as the high does not top 325 it should be fine. I used a small piece of sheet metal so the holes in my iron did not leave marks on my razor. I stick them on a piece of heavy ish plate steel and set another piece on top. I use the steel plate with the iron and the oils.
I would not trash those.
I leave them to cool overnight. I often make that a last thing project.

PS
My shop iron doesn’t have steam, so I did not. Steam starts at 212 so potentially you could try it, I did not.