Thread: Stabilizing hairline crack in scales

Recently I noticed that a barely noticeable hairline crakc has appeared near the pivot of my Friodur - I noticed it because while stropping the razor, I would sometimes hear a light clicking sound. On closer examination it seems there is a small crack on one side of the scales and my concern is that if left untreated it will grow...

What do you find is the best way to stabilize this. If possible I'd prefer not to have to unpin it and risk further damage. I was thinking perhaps epoxy glue but my problem with that is that it seems to me it will be difficult to repair without the result looking messy.

Thank you for your input!

what are the scales made of?.In ivory or bone you first need to stop the crack.
For this I use a #75 (.021) Drillbit held in a pinvise,Drill a micro hole in each end of the crack.
the hole will be virtually invisable as it is not much bigger than most cracks.
Than I put the end in an ultrasonic to clean out the crack and let well dry.
Fill the crack in layers with thin CA glue smoothing with micromesh after each application is well cured,works very well.

Cyanoacrylate superglue is probably the best, as it will flow into a crack by capillary action. You can use tape to prevent it flowing out over the external surface, and apply it to the inner surface of the scale, where filing and scraping away a trickle is acceptable. Some tubes have a narrow enough nozzle to do this, or you can usually push on a hypodermic needle ot a piece of fine tubing.

Epoxy won't flow into a crack unless it can somehow be forced in, or the piece can be lifted out and put back. You can often wedge the crack a trifle more open, wipe epoxy in, , close it up, and wipe away the surplus. Clear epoxy is good for most materials, but Ace Hardware do a good off-white epoxy (taking several hours to harden) which is a good match for bone, ivory and its imitations.

The clear plastic cement used by aeromodellers will produce a good bond in celluloid, but faces the limitations of epoxy, plus one more. It contains a solvent which will mark the surfaces of celluloid quite badly. It has a place, though, as I think it would show less than the others if you are prepared to use fine sandpaper and repolish the celluloid.

Whatever you do, it is best to do it early, before the crack lengthens or chips come away, or dirt gets in. I wouldn't trust solvents to get everything out without lengthening the crack. You shouldn't oil the blade again.

lol, I just fixed some cracks with superglue because it sounded logical. But it's good to hear others think it's a good fix too.

I've never had scales re-crack after supergluing.

However, watch out for that thick, no drip superglue. It dries brittle. The thin stuff? I once fixed an internal toilet fixture with superglue and cloth and it never leaked again. I've also done car repairs in air lines and many other fixes. I love that stuff. Just keep it away from your nose. :P

Thank you for the suggestions! I think the scales are cellulloid - is it still advisable to stop the crack by drilling a micro hole? I think I'll try using superglue. Application sounds easier to deal with rather trying to work with epoxy. The good thing is that I stopped using the razor as soon as I noticed that it was cracked, so the crack itself should be relatively clean.

I too have used CA to fix cracks, albeit it may hold & another one formed. Scales were just brittle and had to be replaced. If yours develops another, yours may be in the same boat mine was.

Sort of comes down to a fix or a patch,with celluloid it may not be worth the effort.
With ivory,Bone,horn,tortoise shell,It becomes a diff issue about preservation.
By using an ultrasonic and some dishsoap and water you are able to get the crack cleaned to the point of being invisable,do the repair and be done.

That's one thing I'm afraid of, although I hope once the crack is properly stabilized, another one will not form - these are the original scales with a nice friodur inlay, so I'd like to keep them unless it's absolutely necessary to remove them.