Thread: protective layer on old scales?

I bought a slick black scaled T Hessen Bruch & Co. on ebay. The scales are in fine shape, but a previous set I had for a different T Hessen Bruch & Co. (yellow, wood I think) warped really badly when I got them wet, and the awesome blade is getting rescaled now. But I don't want my new ebay find's black scales to warp when I get them wet shaving.

Do people typcially put some kind of resin or expoxy or mineral oil on old blades to keep them from deteriorating when they buy a new razor?

I don't get the scales get wet when I shave.
I rinse only the blade under the faucet as I'm shaving.
At the end, I rinse the blade, dry it out with a towel and put a rub a drop of oil on it.
For the scales I'd recommend Minwax Finising Wax, to protect them

As a boatbuilder/trim carpenter/furniture maker, I can tell you that wax isn't going to offer your razor much protection against moisture. If I were re-finishing wood scales and wanted to protect them, I'd use a couple good coats of a marine varnish (used for wood boat trim) on the scales. And the key here is that every speck of bare wood has to be coated----that includes the insides of the pin holes----if it's really going to do any good. If you don't want to order marine varnish, spar varnish would work as well. Obviously, this isn't absolutely necessary since your scales shouldn't be wet all the time and you WILL carefully dry them after each use, right?

If you REALLY want to waterproof them, give them a coat a West System epoxy and THEN varnish. I built and sail a wood sailboat and paddle a wood kayak finished in this way, and they're still both like new.

I am kind of confused on this thread, I understand that your Yellow "wood" scales warped and that is probably because they were not sealed correctly when made.... However when you say "slick black" scales that makes me think that they are celluloid , Bakelite, or horn, in which case water should have almost no effect on them.... Polished horn would be the most susceptible to water warps but, like what was said earlier a good wax coating should protect them just fine....

Keep in mind that if these are celluloid scales that they can just warp from age...

Originally Posted by gssixgun

I am kind of confused on this thread, I understand that your Yellow "wood" scales warped and that is probably because they were not sealed correctly when made.... However when you say "slick black" scales that makes me think that they are celluloid , Bakelite, or horn, in which case water should have almost no effect on them.... Polished horn would be the most susceptible to water warps but, like what was said earlier a good wax coating should protect them just fine....

Keep in mind that if these are celluloid scales that they can just warp from age...

Just to address the confusion, I have two T Hessen Bruch's. One had yellow wood scales that warped when I soaked them. The other has slcik black, which probably is plastc. I have managed not to warp them, but was wondering how to protect them. If your point is telling me how to seal the yellow scales I already warped won't help me with the slick black scales, I would say that's a good point!

However this has still been helpful because I do wnat to try to fix the yellow onces someday.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

I am kind of confused on this thread, I understand that your Yellow "wood" scales warped and that is probably because they were not sealed correctly when made.... However when you say "slick black" scales that makes me think that they are celluloid , Bakelite, or horn, in which case water should have almost no effect on them.... Polished horn would be the most susceptible to water warps but, like what was said earlier a good wax coating should protect them just fine....

Keep in mind that if these are celluloid scales that they can just warp from age...

so should I be able to get away with soaking slikc black plastic scale in Barbicide for ten minutes?

Originally Posted by loueedacat

so should I be able to get away with soaking slick black plastic scale in Barbicide for ten minutes?

It "should" have no effect what so ever, keep in mind I said should, one thing I have learned about this hobby of ours is that as soon as you think you have it all figured out, something bites ya.....

You can normally tell what scales are made of by the smell they put of when you rub them hard with a dry rag,
Celluloid smells slightly like Camphor
Bakelite smells like burning electrical insulation
Horn has a sharp earthy smell
Plastic smells like, well plastic
I hope that helps some what, just be careful what chemicals you get on them....

FWIW, I can't understand soaking scales in Barbacide. I have taken Scrubbing Bubbles and a toothbrush to crud impregnated scales on ebay specials but if I were to want to sterilize the shaving edge I wouldn't put more then the blade in whatever solution I was using.

To be honest I don't even bother with that. Even hepititis won't live more then a month or two . By the time the razor has been hit with Mass, honed, and stropped I imagine my risk is negligable.

Originally Posted by loueedacat

so should I be able to get away with soaking slikc black plastic scale in Barbicide for ten minutes?

Not a good idea. I tried it with a few and all went well. I put a few more in and they started to melt. Scales were covered with sticky stuff and the Barbicide took on a brownish hue. I am guessing that the first set was plastic and the ones that melted were either celluloid and/or bakelite. Up until that event the material didn't mater much to me.

I would just put the blade in the Barbicide if that is what you want to do. I use a tooth brush and dish soap and sometimes give them a quick ultrasonic cleaning using water and dish soap.