Thread: Bone or Ivory?

Hi All,
I am a dentist and I was talking to a patient and somehow got onto the subject of straight razors. When I told him I collected old straight razors he subsequently brought me three old razors he had stashed away. One of them turned out to be a Wade and Butcher pre-1890 and in fairly good condition.
In any case, my question is one which I am sure has been asked many times: how can I tell if the scales are bone or ivory? I know they are not plastic because I heated a pin a placed it on the inside section of the scales and it had no effect.
Thanks for your help,
Ira

By looking at the end grain at the wedge I would confidently say bone. Ivory doesn't have pores.

They look nice, I kind of dig the grain by the wedge.

Check out this thread here for pix of genuine ivory that may give you something to go with. Post # 2, mine, may show you the grain close enough to get an idea. The thinness of the scale material, on the old vintage pieces, will also give a clue, although vintage bone is also thin. Anyway ........

http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...y-handles.html

Bone, the pores are called Halversian canals,bone has a vasucular system as it is living tissue,Ivory is not.

Yea, bone would be my uneducated guess too for the reason pixelfixed stated. Another possible clue is that the pins have washers and a lot of the older ivory scales I have seen are just peened pins sans washers.

Bob

Wow! This is great!. Thanks for all the info everyone, especially the pictures of the ivory scales. I agree, this looks like bone to me as well, but your confirmation is greatly appreciated.
Happy shaving everyone!

Ira

That looks like bone.

As has been said, the feel of ivory is unique and unlike plastic or bone. To me they feel very much like a polished finger nail. Feel a highly polished nail with the pad of your thumb and then the scale, silky smooth with a slight feel of the grain, (Schreger lines –chevrons, or Owen-concentric, long lines).

Combine that with thinness, saw marks on inside, washerless (or not, but usually) matching pins, end grain, (though you may not always see Schreger lines on thin scale end grain and depending what part of the tusk the scale was cut), finish (a shiny, but not lacquer glossy, probably the grain lines breaking up the refraction of light) and creamy uniform color (though not under magnification).

The feel, is the dead bang tell.

Originally Posted by shooter74743

By looking at the end grain at the wedge I would confidently say bone. Ivory doesn't have pores.

I had the exact same impression. Bone, I'd say.