Thread: Questions before I begin...

Just finished my first restore with great success!

I was mildly familiar with the celluloid material and got some good results from shaping it. In a day or two, my package from Masecraft should arrive and I'll start on a set of horn scales next. The question that I have is can someone tell me the difference in workability between the two materials? What things are the same, what's different, what type of pitfalls should I look out for?

I also might try my hand at doming my washers a bit for this next job and picked up a doming set from HF in preparation. With so many options, which one do you guys use for doming? Wouldn't a domed washer tend to dig into the scale material a bit?

Thanks!

First thing you should do if you havent already, is watch Brad's videos.http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...h_Video_Series The first few are on un-pinning, restoring the blade etc, but he then goes on to making the horn scales. They helped me a lot with my first go at horn.
Grant

Got my Masecraft package today....is it normal for many of the pieces to be warped and/or have large inclusions in the horn?

Doming the washers on acrylic, horn and celluloid doesnt really dig in. If you buff the pins with a dremel, maybe issue as it heats up and pulls in. But heck, even flat washer will.

You'll wind up playing with it to find what you like. Small washer, slight dome often I'll use the third to largest doming punch in my kit i think, and large dapping hole that has the four tiny holes in each corner of its shared face of the block. Sorry dont remember exact combo as at keyboard. Small holes and punch make a much more extreme curve when used with a big washer, but you'll need to make a spacer or stack washers under it.


Working with the horn, pay attention to the coloring. As example, Honey horn will have white with white or black steaks. One side will be deeper than the other. Take into consideration what you will be sanding off. You will loose or gain some different pattern with sanding.

Pay attention to thickness. May need to plane so as both sides of your scales are as thick as each other.

The sanding will be similar to the celluloid, that you did by hand. You did a great job on your gallery posted razor, so not much to add there. If you were using power tools, I'd remind you that although it doesnt flare up like celluloid, it stinks like cows.

ahh the joys of natural material. There will be imperfections in the material to work around. Also, more often than not, it will not be completely flat. You wont be using the full piece, so possible once you cut out the desired section it is flat, or not as twisted. But could be more, and the non-desired side was actually flat.

If slight, you may be ok to take hair dryer to it, clamp to a flat surface, or maybe a surface with reverse radius.

I also steam rough shaped scale and/or stock. I put some images down below of my rig, but you could probably get away from drilling the boards out. I'll lay the two boards over the pot spread apart. Lay the material over the gap until bends enough. Maybe 10/15/20 min. Flipping it over every 3-10 min and checking at same time. If a particular area of it where the warp lies, I make sure that is exposed to the raw steam.

Then place the material sandwiched between the two boards and clamp together, leaving over the steam for a while longer. If I dont want to risk having imprints of wood grain or the steam holes on the horn, I also add G10 between the horn and wood, to leave a flat surface, and dont steam as long clamped, but maybe longer prior to clamping.

Leave it for 24 hours, unclamp, wipe residual moister, clamp back together, take the hairdryer to it between the cracks to get dry hot air over it. Leave another 24 or whenever I'm ready to work it.

Looking forward to seeing the next project

Thanks for those pics DC! I've started my next project and have already noticed some things that makes the horn unique.

1) When drilling horn, you gotta be careful or you run the risk of punching a hole through the other side a darn-sight larger than intended....kinda like the horn flakes off if you drill too quickly.

2) I think horn may actually be harder than acrylic.