Thread: Celluliod Dry Rot?

Not sure what this is, but kind of looks like dry rot or some serious shrinkage like it sat in the sun way to long. I thought they were tiny cracks, but they look like wrinkles. There are no signs of cell rot on the blade. Was wondering if it can be sanded out or should I just make a new set of scales. Hope the pictures are clear enough. Tried taking a picture through a loupe since I can't figure out if this camera even has a zoom.

Originally Posted by JSmith1983

Not sure what this is, but kind of looks like dry rot or some serious shrinkage like it sat in the sun way to long. I thought they were tiny cracks, but they look like wrinkles. There are no signs of cell rot on the blade.

As I understand "cell[uloid] rot" -- and based on what happened to my one of my beloved Cattaraugus Cutlery "Green Lizard" straight razors -- the celluloid scale will "rot", but the visible effect will be on the blade: rust forms wherever the scales "cover" the blade; when you open the razor, there will be a clear line-of-demarcation on the blade, but the spine will be clear.

In your case, I think you should look to a different cause for the "wrinkles" on the scales; perhaps -- as you suggested -- it's a bad case of "sunburn".

Smooth shaving!

It looks more like a case of "dried out" vs "dry rot"

Yea cell rot is something different than dry rot. I have never seen or read anything like this on any other celluloid scales so far so I am in uncharted waters when I comes to what to do. I guess I should have posted a picture of the whole scale to show the color difference. About half of the scale is "wrinkled" on both sides and the color has darkened.