Thread: What would you do with these (ivory?) scales?

Got a nice, inexpensive lot of razors and brushes off eBay delivered this past weekend. Amongst the razors was a C.V. Heljestrand (my first Swede!) in what-seems-to-be ivory scales.

Unfortunately one of the scales was cracked entirely at the pivot. Since taking the pictures below, I've carefully drilled the pivot pin out to remove the blade. When drilling it did smell faintly of burnt nail/hair so I'm guessing it's either ivory or bone. Anybody care to comment on or confirm that? The scales are like 1/16" thick, too.

I read a thread recently in which someone said that dental filling(?) would be a good way to repair cracks in ivory, but I think that's a bit much for me and this is more than just a crack. I'm guessing that the razor will need to be rescaled but wanted some other opinions on my options. I thought about rounding out the chipped end, cutting the opposite scale to match, then redrilling a pivot hole and using a shorter blade in there. I don't want the Helj to be shortened for it, though.

Comments and suggestions welcome as always:



close-up:


Thanks!

If there's enough of a gap between the end of the blade and the wedge I'd lop both scales off at the pivot pin hole and recontour them both, then drill a new pivot pin hole. If the blade's too long for that you might consider rescaling the blade with something else. You could always trim the scales down to fit a razor with a shorter blade.

I'm just brainstroming here, but one of the first things that came to my mind was to cut off a bit from the pivot end and the wedge end and make some lined scales with black cape buffalo horn ends... it would go horn, nickel silver spacer, ivory, nickel silver, horn. I think that would look cool.

PS... no idea if this is Ivory, Bone, or either

Originally Posted by Del1r1um

I'm just brainstroming here, but one of the first things that came to my mind was to cut off a bit from the pivot end and the wedge end and make some lined scales with black cape buffalo horn ends... it would go horn, nickel silver spacer, ivory, nickel silver, horn. I think that would look cool.

PS... no idea if this is Ivory, Bone, or either

Sorry, but as a complete restoration noob I just want to clarify what lined scales are. So I'd have rectangular pieces of ivory (or bone, whatever) -- say the length from pin to pin -- and then buffalo horn on the ends, with nickel spacers between the two materials? How do you join each piece? Just epoxy the horn and ivory to the nickel spacers?

By eye I think they are some kind of genuine ivory. If they have little marks in them almost like dashes that are darker they may be bone. If the top of the one side is just broken off and there is enough left on that side to tighten the pin so that the razor can be stropped and honed without the scales flopping around I would leave it as is.

If the pin cannot be tightened I would get some replacement scales and save the two ivory sides for another project. Just IMO.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

By eye I think they are some kind of genuine ivory. If they have little marks in them almost like dashes that are darker they may be bone. If the top of the one side is just broken off and there is enough left on that side to tighten the pin so that the razor can be stropped and honed without the scales flopping around I would leave it as is.

If the pin cannot be tightened I would get some replacement scales and save the two ivory sides for another project. Just IMO.

I thought about just leaving it but the crack goes right up to the pin, and the scales are pretty thin to begin with so I'd be too nervous that the pin would break through while stropping/honing/using. If it were like a few millimeters away from the pivot hole I'd probably go with it and maybe shorten the other side to match. Don't think I can pull that off with these, though.

it looks like ivory to me - a good cleaning might bring out a strong grain pattern in those

One reason I wouldn't shorten the other side is that you may run across another razor with a good other side and be able to match them up. If they can't be salvaged together I would put replacements on and save the old scales for something coming down the pike. I don't think making them match lengthwise is going to give you an attractive razor so you would just be ruining the good side. IMHO.

Re-shape the scales and shorten the blade. You really do not need the entire 3 inch to shave with.

Originally Posted by commiecat

Sorry, but as a complete restoration noob I just want to clarify what lined scales are. So I'd have rectangular pieces of ivory (or bone, whatever) -- say the length from pin to pin -- and then buffalo horn on the ends, with nickel spacers between the two materials? How do you join each piece? Just epoxy the horn and ivory to the nickel spacers?

yeah, then you'd have a thin liner material like nickel silver epoxied onto the inside of the scales... kind of like what bill ellis does here, but you'd have horn at both ends.

Bill Ellis lined scales