Thread: Scale resto. advice

Hey all. I have these scales that I am in the process of restoring. I've unpinned the razor and given the scales a good sanding. They will get a soaking in neatsfoot oil. Mike (Outback) has kindly given me advice on re-colouring the scales with hair dye. My question is - Do I need to protect that decorative end piece from the dye? I don't want to impart an ugly colour stain to it. The piece can't be removed from the scales. I thought about coating it with nail polish before the dying process, then removing that coating after the dying is done.

Any thoughts or experience here would be much appreciated.

If its metal, I don't think it would affect it. But I'm not positive. Is it pewter, Mick?

You could mix a small amount of dye, try it on a test piece of metal. See if it stains it.

I use large forceps for pulling scales from dye, it doesn't stain them. But that's stainless steel.

Fingernail polish might work, but the remover might also remove dye from the scales. I thinks a test piece would be best, IMO

Thanks Mike. Yep its metal of some type but I'm not sure what. As you suggest, I will do a small test piece and see how it goes.

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Maybe take a piece of wood, wrap it in electrical tape, soak it in the dye, and see if the tape resists the dye?
Or maybe coat in wax and test?
Just some early morning off-gassing from my brain.

How about a thick coat of Vaseline?

Is it one solid piece? Both scales are attached to it?
I'm thinking that if it does get a little color from the dye you can carefully sand the metal so that the metal is clean on the flats but leave the deep depressions the darker color. I think it could help the look. Not that it needs help.

I would think coating the metal would be the best. Nail polish would require you to be very careful removing it. However if you tape the scales when you both apply the nail polish and again when you remove it, it should be fairly easy.

I would think Ren Wax or Gun Stock Wax would keep the dye from staining it and could be gently heated to remove it. As Shaun sid though I think I would tape the scales before and after.

KISS

Just proceed, if needed polish the metal with High Grit sandpaper wrapped around a Popsicle stick after, I would do a final polish anyway...

Scales are dyed and done. Really happy how they turned out. Thanks all for your advice. Now I just gotta choose which collars to use