Thread: Are these horn scales?

I cannot tell whether or not these scales are horn... Anybody have some input?

Yes those are horn.

take your finger and rub it and warm it up and then give it a sniff if it smells like burnt hair it horn if it smells like burnt electical its celilloid but if I am wrong someone correct me

If I was going strictly by the pictures I would not be able to give a definitive "yes". The pics are a bit too blurry for me. Look for any parallel lines running the length of the scales, look for any delamination of the layers evident mostly at the ends and corners of the scales, sand with high grit sandpaper and smell for the hair smell.

Based on those types of washers and pins, every razor I've owned with those identical style of washers have been horn.

Chris L

Looking at the fourth pic down; those brownish tinges point to delam'd slivers being pulled off creating a more transparent thin spot. Horn

Thanks for your input, you have confirmed my suspicions. I did some mild sanding and smelt the burnt hair odour. There are some marks also which run top to bottom. They are a bit warped though, so I need to soak them in neatsfoot oil, possibly boil them and vice them to straighten them out.