Thread: Dubl Duck Wonderedge HELP!!!

Ok, I am restoring a DD Wonderedge/Pearlduck, my first restore by the way. I was using my finger to apply compound to clean the brass "Wonderedge" wording on one side of the scales. The bottom edge of thr wording was lifting off the scale a bit and I was worried that the cloth would catch the edge and pull it off completely. I would then gently wipe the scale with the cloth.

It was working fine. No damage. Although I was having trouble removing the excess compound from inside of the letters. So I carefully used an old toothbrush, in a circular motion, to get it out. Well eventually the toothbrush did what I was afraid the cloth would do. The wording came off completely.

Has anyone had any experience with replacing brass pieces? What can I use to affix it back to the scale?

Also, I wiped the blade with alcohol after sanding one evening before I went to bed (I read to do this afterwards to avoid tarnishing(?) on a thread here but I cannot remember which one now). Some of the alcohol spread to the scales and the scales turned white and, for lack of a better way to describe it, frosted. I was able to remove the frosted apperance with no real damage to the scales. However, the scales now lack the luster that they once had. Can the scales be polished to bring back the luster as well?

Those are celluloid scales and as such are subject to damage almost by looking at them too long. Yes you damaged the scales. if it didn't go too deep you might be able to polish it but I'm thinking they are beyond repair. As far as the lettering goes you know it's like foil almost and most glues like epoxy would probably damage it further. I don't know what they originally used on it maybe just some pressure while it was being manufactured and still in a semi soft state? I don't know. I'm sure someone with experience with this will come along soon.

I successfully re attached the harp logo on a Fili using one of those new plastics glues that are like CA but come with a primer but I can't remember if the clear blue scales were cell or not.

That razor should not be ones first restore,there are plenty less expensive razors to practice on. But then again I can remember taking a dremel tool to polish a blade of one of my best shavers and lets just say it didn't end well !! Live and learn ;-)

I would ask Glen about this, he has removed and replace these before.

The alcohol you applied worked to loosen the inlay and dissolve the scales. Sorry if that is not what you wanted to hear. You might super glue the inlay back on with a light brush application on the back of the inlay and after a day's drying, soak the scales in 3M wet silicone to moisturize them. That is what has worked for me.

Thank you all for the help

OK let's start at the beginning.. Shane, I will answer here rather then PM so everyone can see...

DD scales are Catalin a form of Celluloid
They are all in a state of degrading, yep every single set the Whiter they are they better they are
They will crack or fall apart if you even look at them wrong
They are only layered with the cracked ice look if you sand too far you will loose that

There are two ways that I use to attach the brass inlays after they come off.. (Someday I will figure out how to melt them back in)

One way is what Max and I laughingly call the "Drop-n-Hope" when were talking on the phone
Which is exactly what was already described above you spread on a layer of Medium CA and drop the inlay back in place and hope you get it right before it dries...

The other way is called the "Frame method" in which you create a frame of the inlay out of the thicker packing tape, and basically fill that with epoxy and drop the inlay into that frame, one of these days I will take the time to do an illustrated guide to this method.. This is of course way more detailed then I just wrote and is explained much easier in pics than words..

The problem is, you have exacerbated the entire issue by listening to people that maybe should not be giving advice..

One more time for the record, using harsh chemicals on your blades to Clean, Sterilize, De-tape, De-grease, De-rust or De-whatever is not a smart idea.. I don't care if you have done it a 1000 times sooner or later you will wreck a set of scales..

What is a harsh chemical??? My simple definition is "If you smell it and want to jerk yer heard back, that is not good for razors"

Alcohol can and will react badly with some razors and some scales (now watch somebody will dispute that) Naphtha, Acetone, MET, are especially bad on many vintage scales..

I use Acetone to dissolve the old scales to intentionally lift the inlay for transfer, yet you will read of people using Fingernail polish remover to clean tape residue off their blades


Where you are at now..

You need to clean and polish the scales, do not go below 1000 grit and work slowly and carefully, you might as well take the whole razor apart and do a Full Vintage restore now.. Your efforts will either succeed in getting the scales back to looking good or succeed in wrecking them completely, if that happens save the scales as the inlays can be lifted and transfered to new ones

What you are attepting is a step by step process, if you skip a step such as getting the scales cleaned and polished, yet not roughing the exact spot where the inlay goes back will result in failure, sorry but this stuff isn't easy.. I should actually say there is no easy way that looks good, you can always just glop on some glue and call it done

Good Luck

Originally Posted by gssixgun

The problem is, you have exacerbated the entire issue by listening to people that maybe should not be giving advice..

But of course!