Advice on how to clean / renew these scales.

Hi fellas,

These scales are off a busted boker king cutter I bought from an antique store.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1222/...5509c65f_b.jpg

I don't know what they're made of, just plastic I'm assuming. As you can see in the picture they've become unevenly discoloured and look kind of grungy. Is there anything I can do to even the colour out and make them look nicer?

They're a single piece (the bottom pin is just for show, it's a solid piece of plastic). Can anyone tell me as well what they're made of?

First you have to determine if they are celluloid or plastic. I've never seen one piece celluloid. If its plastic and you've gone the soap and water route you would have to use a mild abrasive, something like Cape Cod Cloths work good and just polish away until you actually remove the top discolored layers. If its celluloid you have to be more careful as its delicate stuff but the proceedure is still the same.

Rub them with a dry cloth a few seconds and get them warm then sniff...

Plastic smells like, well plastic LOL

Celluloid has a slightly camphor smell to it...

First thing I did with them was soap and water, I used a nail brush to scrub them and got lots of gunk out of the insides and the tree stamp.

I don't know what camphor smells like, but when I rub them with a cloth to heat them they don't really smell like much of anything.

I've got some Maas coming in the mail, I saw Lynn use that on a set of scales in his DVD, would that do the trick or should I try and find some Cape Cod Cloths?

I have had good luck with MAAS, myself....
haven't used actual Cap Cod Cloth in years :)

There is an acrylic headlight polish you can find at Walmart called PlastX in the Automotive aisle that works
pretty good too...


Celluloid sorta has a faint Mothball smell

From the looks of the scales I would bet money that they are celluloid.
In the piano trade they use to use what they called combed celluloid to make imitation ivory key tops. The pattern on the scales is looks just like it.

Charlie

When I tap the pin ends together they make a sound that sounds more like glass hitting itself than plastic. Does that further the celluloid argument?

If they were celluloid and you rubbed them you would get a very distinctive smell.

From this post here:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...tml#post473603

They look a lot like the immitation ivory celluloid picture. Just discoloured with age.

I do detect a faint odour of something when I rub them, I guess that must be it.

The smell is kind of like Eucalyptus, IMO. Think vick's vapor rub, or a medicine cream.