Thread: What are the scales made of, and are they fixable?

I couldn't resist an old W&B wedge, in rough shape, for $8. I'm not frightened by the blade; if it's beyond my capabilities, not much is lost. The nick in the edge is nasty, but I can grind it out with 600-grit sandpaper.

I don't know what the scales are made of, and I don't know whether they're repairable. It looks like something has eaten a hole near the toe pin, and there are other places that look similar. Each scale is hollow.

There are also three metal appliques (inserts?) on one scale. I'd like to save them.

If anyone has any ideas how old this beast is, I'd like to hear them. And I'm _sure_ somebody knows what the scales are made of, and whether they can be saved.

Thanks --

Charles

PS -- If I do much more of this, I'll need a macro lens for the camera.

The scales are very old horn which has been eaten by bugs over the years, which is a common as they are irresistibly delicious beyond belief..

I personally would not bother with them, as I would want to depin the razor to restore it and they may not survive a depin. In any case my preference would be for new scales and functionally these are delicate. As a collectable item though, they would have to stay without doubt.

They can however be saved. Epoxy with dye is probably your best best. Baldy (Grant) has repaired horn in this fashion before and it worked very well IIRC.

Don't take my word as gospel. I think that they are of horn. And that would explain why they are eaten by bugs. I have one similar to yours with black scales which apparently has pewter metal as the inserts.

You might be able to fill the holes with gap filling Cyanoacrylate (CA) glue using a toothpick or similar tool and letting the CA set or using a bit of CA accelerator before trying and letting it evaporate. Too much will cause a bit of smoke. It is possible to mix small amounts of aniline dye into the ca. Some liquid clothing dyes are of aniline as are many of the dry ones. Only experiments will tell.
~Richard

Is that a microtome? I agree replace them. Those babies are unhappy scales.

-G

That is the yellowest horn that I have ever seen. Those were gorgeous scales at one time. It's too bad they're all bug eaten.

Definitely horn & definitely can be saved if you have the time, patience & desire.
Here's a set I did. In hindsight it would be quicker to make some but saving the old ones keeps a congruent look with the blade sometimes.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...le-repair.html

The scales in the above post are beautifully restored! Thanks, gorgeous work!

I looked at the scales made like those shown in the original post that I have and it appears that the inserts were made by:
1.Cutting flat bottomed holes to a depth V'ing out the bottom of the holes as a mechanical lock.
2. Pressing the pewter into the holes with a fancy punch to expand the pewter into the keying reverse taper "V" around the bottom of the hole. That pressing also made the surface pattern.
I believe that this was done while the scales were apart using the equivalent of an arbor press.
Pewter is a very soft material and was common at the time of the razor's manufacture.
~Richard

Oz --

That's a beautiful job! Thank you for the thread.

So the final result is epoxy scales, with a horn core. They should last forever.

I'm a sailor, and I have some epoxy around. Messy, ugly stuff to work with, but the results may be worthwhile.

This razor is going into my "long-term projects" drawer.

Charles

Originally Posted by cpcohen1945

Oz --

That's a beautiful job! Thank you for the thread.

So the final result is epoxy scales, with a horn core. They should last forever.

I'm a sailor, and I have some epoxy around. Messy, ugly stuff to work with, but the results may be worthwhile.

This razor is going into my "long-term projects" drawer.

Charles

Yup marine epoxy makes em pretty durable. Just need to clear the bubbles from mixing or it dries more opaque than clear.