Thread: help IDing scale material?

any idea what these scales are made of? an old set my friend has.

I believe if you search through the wiki you will find some info on identifying scale material. It's probably celluloid or bakelite and you will be able to tell the difference by rubbing your thumb on the material to heat it up and observe the scent given off. Off hand I forget which is which.

definitely not bone/horn though? he says its horn, but the "built in" spacer has got me worried.

My guess is bakelite without having the scales in my hands....

If it stinks when it is heated, it is bakelight or however they spell it. If it doesn't stink then celluloid.

so either bakelite or celluloid...

You could heat a needle and stick the material. If it smells of burnt hair it is horn.

Originally Posted by Ichinichi

definitely not bone/horn though? he says its horn, but the "built in" spacer has got me worried.

Can't tell about the ones pictured, but I have a Wostenholm razor with horn scales (bug bites and all) that were fabricated with a "built in" spacer on each scale. Also, I have a Thomas Turner's "Eberlasting" with horn scales with the same feature.

If you have access to them, rubbing them a little bit should evoke the odor of burned hair if they're horn.

I tried this rubbing tactic with a recently acquired razor, "James Barlow" Sheffield; the antique seller said the scales were horn and by jingo he was right...they have a faint odour of burnt hair when rubbed. So this definitely works..

Horn smells like burnt hair when heated (really stinks).

Celluloid smells like camphor (moth balls) when rubbed, sanded or washed in warm water… also a few with built in wedge or glued to form a “one piece” scale.

Bakelite, a pungent (formaldehyde) odor when heated or sanded. When polished with MAAS or other strong polishing compounds the cloth will usually be stained brown.

Examples exist of all thee materials with “built in” wedge.

Hope this helps.