New??? Tip for for strengthening horn scales
I just made a nice set of scales from ox horn for a W&B Full Wedge French Point. After I was done shaping and sanding, I assembled the razor using mini- screws and nuts. What I noticed was that the scales had too much flex in them for such a solid blade.
This got me thinking, if horn is made from keratin, the same stuff our nails are made of, could I use some women's nail hardener to help 'stabilize' them. I have used CA for wood, but was feeling a bit lazy. After a quick trip to a local nail salon, I purchased a $5 bottle of nail hardener. I applied a very thin coat to the inside of the scales( didn't want to ruin the exterior of the scales if this didn't work). The scales absorbed the hardener with no noticeable change to the finish of the scales. I waited an hour and did the same. After it dried, I polished up the inside of the scales with 2000 grit. In 2 minutes, they looked the way they had before my experiment.
The result, the scales feel noticeably stiffer and there is no noticeable difference to the finish. Not bad for 2 costs, a few minutes of sanding and $5.
Re: New??? Tip for for strengthening horn scales
Sounds like a great tip! There are a few guys here making very thin horn scales that may benefit from this (unless they have an alternative of course).
Cheers,
Eric.