Thread: Ivory scale repair question

Hi Folks,


I was recently working on re-pinning a very delicate and fine-profiled set of ivory scales and had a major "oh #*!?" moment when tapping out a poorly peened pin which I needed to do over. I was tapping it out over a small hole in my wooden work bench when the bottom scale shattered! Stupid move, the hole I was tapping over was too large and didn't properly support the scale in the vicinity of the hole. It just about broke my heart. The razor is one of a matched pair of very nice old Sheffield made razors that are wonderful shavers and came in a beautiful hard case.

Three small pieces of scale shattered around the pin hole and I was sure the scales were a total loss. Then I started messing around with the pieces. They were very small and very thin, (the scales are quite thin). Lo and behold, I could get then to fit together beautifully and without doing any research, (yes, I tend to be impulsive in the shop), I laid them out on a sheet of wax paper and glued them up with two part West System epoxy. It worked like a charm, and now I'm looking for advice on how to proceed with the repair.

Questions:
Has anyone out there repaired ivory scales with epoxy?
Should I gently sand down the excess layer of epoxy covering the repair, or leave it in place?
Should I add a laminate of some sort to the back of the repair to reinforce it, or leave it as is?
Do I dare drill the pin hole out with a standard bitt or do I run the risk of splitting the repair?
Are there abrasive covered "bores" small enough to use in a Dremel tool that would be a safer way to drill out the hole?

I've got more questions on the best way to proceed once the repaired scale is ready, but I'll take this one step at a time.

Thanks for reading my post!
Bruce

Epoxy is not the repair material of my choice but lets work with what you have.

I would reinforce the back of the scales with fabric, brass, silver, nickel silver, or g10 ect. I have only done fabric so I will leave it to you to research the other possibility's.

Find some material that is a close color match for your ivory. I used polyester as that is what I had on hand for a similar issue. Trace the shape of the scales twice on the fabric on the bias, that is at approximately 45 degree angle. Now cut out the shapes smaller than the scales. Mix up enough epoxy for just one scale and thoroughly coat the fabric and back of the scale. Apply the fabric to the scale, adjust for position and squeegee out the excess. Repeat on the second scale. coat the second scale like the first, then sand, polish and proceed with re pining.

Dremel makes a set of drills that will do nicely, Dremel 628 drill set. They are identical to any other high speed twist drill bit of that size. You could also get some diamond coated bits that are meant for carving.

However you proceed slow and careful should be your new watch word.

Jonathan

Make a replacement scale

Jonathan,

Thanks for the advice. I'll look into backing material. I'll align it on the bias as recommended, and give both scales the same treatment.

Regards,
Bruce

Bruce,

For repairing patched pin holes or simply sizing them, I've found that reamers are less likely to break out the back of the material than drill bits. Widget Supply offers some really cheap diamond bead reamers that work nicely. These are definitely NOT quality tools but for the light duty work on the occasional scale they are perfectly servicable.

Diamond Bead Reamers

rs,
Tack

Tack,

I'll look into the reamers. I was hoping there was a solution of that sort available. I've had bitts grab and split material on other delicate materials.

Thanks,
Bruce

I found these to be useful in brittle materials prior to pinning, they prevent the slight swelling of the pin while peening from splitting the material

Recommended by the last apprenticed Sheffield knife maker: Stan Shaw
"Stan Shaw "Master Cutler"
~Richard
PS, It is a small Dremel type tool and also available at Harbor Freight and other outlets. Often it is included in a accessory kit.

Originally Posted by Geezer

I found these to be useful in brittle materials prior to pinning, they prevent the slight swelling of the pin while peening from splitting the material

Recommended by the last apprenticed Sheffield knife maker: Stan Shaw
"Stan Shaw "Maser Cutler"
~Richard

I use that same tool Richard,Held in a pinvise to put a micro chamfer in place prior to pinning.
I think it distributes the pressure more evenly.

Thanks Richard,

That looks like a useful tool.

Bruce