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Polished Catalin handle

R

romsitsa

Hello,
found this old butterschotch handle with a beyond repair badger knot, but it was less than a USD, so what could go wrong.
After cleaning it and removing the knot I had a feeling that the amber color was not original, so pulled out some 1500 wet/dry paper and some polishing paste in the morning.
Turned out it's yellow/translucent Catalin with a very nice swirl pattern.

IMG_5737.JPG IMG_5739.JPG

Adam
 

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
Nice handle Adam, it came up well. Thanks for sharing. What sort of knot are you looking at putting in it?
 
Hello,
found this old butterschotch handle with a beyond repair badger knot, but it was less than a USD, so what could go wrong.
After cleaning it and removing the knot I had a feeling that the amber color was not original, so pulled out some 1500 wet/dry paper and some polishing paste in the morning.
Turned out it's yellow/translucent Catalin with a very nice swirl pattern.

View attachment 989212 View attachment 989213

Adam

I love Bakelite. Those Catalin handles Schick used on their Type E are very nice. Good job cleaning up and polishing, sir.
 
That's a crazy difference in color. Do you think that it was just natural discoloration from aging?
That handle looks great by the way.
 
R

romsitsa

Thank you gents. I'm undecided about the knot. I have an old German badger (rein Dachs) it's better than any contemporary badger so doesn't feel I need another. Not a fan of boar (although there are nice ones), and the synthetics (I tried), work only if the knot is at least 22 mm (smaller diameter ones feel too flexible, if it makes sense).
Right now I'm looking at this, but it could also be that I find a vintage boar or badger knot, or try a mixed badger/boar.
US $2.99 |VIGSHAVING New Synthetic Hair Shaving Brush Knots 6 different size (20mm/22mm/24mm/26mm/28mm/30mm)-in Shaving Brush from Beauty & Health on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

Imho the discoloration was caused by some chemical, I have another yellow bakelite brush and had to treat it with owen degreaser. It turned the handle a dark caramel color in seconds, but could polish it back to the original color. I don't know what exactly reacts with the resin.

Adam
 
Turned out it's yellow/translucent Catalin with a very nice swirl pattern.
Ooh - it is nice, and a nice price too.

:a14:Thank you for properly calling it "Catalin" and not "Bakelite".
[soapbox mode - begin]
Bakelite is ALWAYS black or dark brown, sometimes with a subtle bit of swirl to it. Think old telephones, old cookware handles and knobs, and most tabletop radios from the '40s. The colourful stuff is Catalin or else some other kind of plastic.
Catalin can be sanded and/or polished down to a fresh surface.
With true Bakelite you would eventually hit a layer of sawdust-like filler and never be able to polish it again. Which is not to say that you cannot polish it ever so cautiously with a rubbing compound, and wax it with a carnauba paste wax..

My E3 Schick has a Bakelite case and (probably) a Catalin handle.
Neither has yet been polished. That would be a nice winter afternoon project.
Imho the discoloration was caused by some chemical,
Nope. Just normal aging and UV light.
From "The Aging of Plastics"

Phenolics: catalin and bakelite
As bakelite and catalin age, UV light causes a layer of phenyl alcohol to form on its surface. Phenyl alcohol is yellow-brown, so it imparts that tint to the original color. Thus cobalt becomes "blue moon" to olive green (see photo below), bright red becomes mahogany, white becomes butterscotch. Phenyl alcohol is an excellent sunscreen, so the discoloration only penetrates a millimeter or so. These plastics are very resistant to chemicals, and will never melt or ignite. Catalin, however, will shrink over time. This can result in warping and cracking of the piece.​
Of course you don't notice the effect in Bakelite, it being brown or black.
Catalin was one of those materials that was so cool looking that everybody started using it before any thought was given to how long it would last. It shrinks too, so a lot of Catalin radio cabinets cracked because they were screwed to a rigid steel chassis.
I think it was one of the first ever artificial materials that could be molded (other than ceramics) and machined into arbitrary shapes, and available in a variety of colours.
Oh, wait - there's celluloid (aka "French Ivory") but it was flammable.
 
Ooh - it is nice, and a nice price too.

:a14:Thank you for properly calling it "Catalin" and not "Bakelite".
[soapbox mode - begin]
Bakelite is ALWAYS black or dark brown, sometimes with a subtle bit of swirl to it. Think old telephones, old cookware handles and knobs, and most tabletop radios from the '40s. The colourful stuff is Catalin or else some other kind of plastic.
Catalin can be sanded and/or polished down to a fresh surface.
With true Bakelite you would eventually hit a layer of sawdust-like filler and never be able to polish it again. Which is not to say that you cannot polish it ever so cautiously with a rubbing compound, and wax it with a carnauba paste wax..

My E3 Schick has a Bakelite case and (probably) a Catalin handle.
Neither has yet been polished. That would be a nice winter afternoon project.

Nope. Just normal aging and UV light.
From "The Aging of Plastics"

Phenolics: catalin and bakelite
As bakelite and catalin age, UV light causes a layer of phenyl alcohol to form on its surface. Phenyl alcohol is yellow-brown, so it imparts that tint to the original color. Thus cobalt becomes "blue moon" to olive green (see photo below), bright red becomes mahogany, white becomes butterscotch. Phenyl alcohol is an excellent sunscreen, so the discoloration only penetrates a millimeter or so. These plastics are very resistant to chemicals, and will never melt or ignite. Catalin, however, will shrink over time. This can result in warping and cracking of the piece.​
Of course you don't notice the effect in Bakelite, it being brown or black.
Catalin was one of those materials that was so cool looking that everybody started using it before any thought was given to how long it would last. It shrinks too, so a lot of Catalin radio cabinets cracked because they were screwed to a rigid steel chassis.
I think it was one of the first ever artificial materials that could be molded (other than ceramics) and machined into arbitrary shapes, and available in a variety of colours.
Oh, wait - there's celluloid (aka "French Ivory") but it was flammable.

I thought the Oxblood red was also actually Bakelite, would that have actually been Catalin?
 
Hello,
found this old butterschotch handle with a beyond repair badger knot, but it was less than a USD, so what could go wrong.
After cleaning it and removing the knot I had a feeling that the amber color was not original, so pulled out some 1500 wet/dry paper and some polishing paste in the morning.
Turned out it's yellow/translucent Catalin with a very nice swirl pattern.

View attachment 989212 View attachment 989213

Adam

WOW! What a difference! :a17::a17:
 
The surface oxidation yields a darker hue and it's the sought after patina for collectors. Sanding it down is probably the worst thing to do from that perspective.
 
I like it! Regardless of the devaluing mentioned, the color being brought back to its original state suits the shape! I usually do not care for anything yellow but that looks good to me! I know you said you don't prefer boar but.. a knot from a Omega 49 would be nice on it!! Sorry I'm on a boar kick lol! If not maybe a fan shaped synth? Just my $0.02 happy shaves!
 
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