Thread: What material are these scales?

Not the best pic for trying to answer this question I realise, but I can't work out what they are made of.
It looks and feels like a highly compressed paper type material, but it's far denser.
It refuses to sand smoother than this with 1200grit, but I'm hoping to pick up some 2000grit tomorrow.

Thanks gents
P

From the Pic,,,, Leather and please understand it is really hard to tell but that is my final answer ....

What do I win

Originally Posted by gssixgun

From the Pic,,,, Leather and please understand it is really hard to tell but that is my final answer ....

What do I win

Since you called dibs on leather, I'm going to throw my hat in the ring for micarta.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

From the Pic,,,, Leather and please understand it is really hard to tell but that is my final answer ....

What do I win

I guess that's possible, but they are quite rigid, they really do have that organic texture.
Is that a common material?

Originally Posted by Theseus

Since you called dibs on leather, I'm going to throw my hat in the ring for micarta.

Ok, so I did have to look that up, but a paper / cloth based micarta would certainly have the correct texture. Was it in common use prior to 1953 when these makers shut down? I've found contrasting ideas of when it was developed on a quick google search?

Leather is not "Common" but I do have 3-4 sets in my Bench Box that I have taken off for restores,,, I also have seen Pressed Paper -BUT- they were on a "Sales/Advertising" razor basically a Straight Razor Disposable

Thanks for the info Glen, appreciated
It's just for my interest really, as I don't really like the way they look and will probably attempt to make some from wood myself

Never heard of leather scales, but it sure looks like leather. Micarta should finish up better than that. The only rough finishing micartas are coarse fabrics like burlap or canvas. Those look obvious.

Phillip

Most assuredly leather. I hate those things, they leave little bits of leather between my fingers. Drives me nuts. Believe it or not if I see them in an antique store I will not touch the scales, I usually use plastic grocery bags as a barrier.

I have seen one leather scale restore that I liked, but for the life of me I cannot seem to find it in my bookmarks.

I agree, it might look quite good when new and polished, but is unloveable in its old age. Comes to all of us, I suppose. I don't know what extremely old whalebone looks like, but probably not like that. Hard vulcanised rubber is another possibility, but I'm nearly sure these scales are leather.

It would have been compressed, and when people tool designs into leather, they moisten it first with hot water - not soak it, and not boiling. Boiled leather is another possibility, since it was used for making armour, and "cuirass" derives from the word for leather. But that hardens and shrinks the leather, and would have to be done with sheet leather flattened on a board, from which the scales would be cut afterwards.

Modern technology offers the possibility of impregnating it with something better than could have been used in the past - cyanoacrylate or cellulose sealer, say, with the surplus squeezed out between sheets of non-adhering plastic.