How to touch up these scales?

[JaggardJ]

This is a recent acquisition and my first razor with ebony (I think) scales.
The razor is in great working order but the exterior of the scales is looking just a little tired.

I would like to give the scales a spruce up without removing them.
Would this be a gentle hand sanding? If so what grit would you start at?
And what would you suggest to shine them up afterwards? I'm thinking oil would be a workable option?

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Most of the black scaled razors I've seen from Eskilstuna from that era have been some kind of hard rubber, although your picture does look a little different than the ones I have.

 

[JaggardJ]

Hmm, will have another look tonight and add some close up shots

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Hmm, will have another look tonight and add some close up shots

Take a piece of 400 grit and sand a little on an inconspicuous spot, inside the scales on the underside for instance. You should be able to tell if it's wood, horn, or rubber by the smell and consistency of the dust. Either way, though, light sanding should make them look nice. If they are rubber I'd start with a finer grit and not use much pressure.

 

[Legion]

They look like black horn in that pic to me.

 

[JaggardJ]

Will do a scratch and sniff and report back

 

[JaggardJ]

I'm fairly sure they are wood. Did a little sanding and then flamed the dust. Very mild smell of wood and no horn stink.
Will proceed with light sanding and then some oil.

 

[Legion]

I'm fairly sure they are wood. Did a little sanding and then flamed the dust. Very mild smell of wood and no horn stink.
Will proceed with light sanding and then some oil.
View attachment 1481158

Based on the new pic, and particularly the sanding residue on the paper, bet you a dollar that is not wood…

 

[JaggardJ]

I'll listen to the voice of experience. I've oiled it and put it in a bag overnight to see how 'nourished' it gets, then sand if needed.

It really does not have the smell I expected though. My George Butler has horn scales and the, ah, fragrance from the scales was quite noticeable when sanded.

 

[DrStrange]

Ebony sawdust is brown like on your sandpaper.
Believe it or not, ebony sawdust is a marketed commodity.

Organic Ebony Saw dust, Fresh 2 Lbs Sawdust, Great for Gardening, Wood Working - - Amazon.com

Organic Ebony Saw dust, Fresh 2 Lbs Sawdust, Great for Gardening, Wood Working - - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

 

[JaggardJ]

Thanks. After a little oil and some rubbing with a cloth the scales are looking a bit better.
I think they are wood/ebony but I plan to just do very light sanding and a little oil which should work for either.
Here is a photo where the camera shows more than I saw.

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

Yup, looks like dried Ebony.

Sand them lightly with 400 or 600 Wet & Dry to remove defects, finish sand with 600 and WD40. Then brush on a light coat of 50% linseed oil and mineral spirits it will probably drink it up.

Add another coat after about 20 minutes and rub them down with 0000 steel wool. Wipe on a light finish coat with a paper towel and buff to a gloss. You can get between the scales with a paper towel wrapped around a coffee stir stick.

Linseed oil will rehydrate the wood and darken the color, it may take a few days to soak into the wood. After a week or two you can apply another coat if you want the color to darken further.

Unbleached paper towels are mildly abrasive and will shine them up nicely.

A dab of metal polish on a paper towel will polish the pins and collars nicely, it will not harm the wood.

 

[JaggardJ]

Looks like this is the next project.
It should be easier than the GD mod competition

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

Nice looking razor, if it had Ebony scales on it, (pins look original) it was/is a high-end razor.

Should be night and day from a Gold Dollar.

 

[JaggardJ]

It's a CW Dahlgren which is fast becoming my favourite SR

 

[cotedupy]

Very cool . I'm slightly surprised that people used ebony for scales tbh as it's insanely hard and fragile, so be careful if you ever need to tighten up the pivot pin!

For finish; note there's a slight difference between Raw Linseed Oil and Boiled Linseed Oil (BLO). The latter is a little darker and sets a bit quicker.

If you want to preserve a lighter, more natural colour to the wood once you've sanded back - Tung oil is superb. If you want darker - go for Linseed which has a kinda brown tint. Though note: Tung oil is going to be more expensive.

 

[Legion]

Very cool . I'm slightly surprised that people used ebony for scales tbh as it's insanely hard and fragile, so be careful if you ever need to tighten up the pivot pin!

For finish; note there's a slight difference between Raw Linseed Oil and Boiled Linseed Oil (BLO). The latter is a little darker and sets a bit quicker.

If you want to preserve a lighter, more natural colour to the wood once you've sanded back - Tung oil is superb. If you want darker - go for Linseed which has a kinda brown tint. Though note: Tung oil is going to be more expensive.

And if you add a splash of turps to BLO, the wood will drink it in faster, but you might need an extra couple of coats.

Never used it on SR scales, but a go to on tool handles, etc

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

You are not using it as a finish, but to re-hydrate the wood. It will darken the scales and make dried Ebony black or darker. Once hydrated and darkened, then you can finish with a light coat of BLO and buff with steel wool and paper towels.

I restore antique hand tools, a lot of 100 year old rosewood and occasionally ebony. Go through a lot of BLO.

Linseed oil finish is great for tool handles, grippy and looks good. Would be good for razor scales, as opposed to a film finish, but you can put a film finish over BLO.

 

[JaggardJ]

I'm thinking I will keep it simple and go the BLO route. It's easy to get and I like the darker look for the scales.

 

[cotedupy]

You are not using it as a finish, but to re-hydrate the wood. It will darken the scales and make dried Ebony black or darker. Once hydrated and darkened, then you can finish with a light coat of BLO and buff with steel wool and paper towels.

I restore antique hand tools, a lot of 100 year old rosewood and occasionally ebony. Go through a lot of BLO.

Linseed oil finish is great for tool handles, grippy and looks good. Would be good for razor scales, as opposed to a film finish, but you can put a film finish over BLO.

Do you use Tung as well?

I likewise restore stuff and make custom handles for a living (knives), and use both, as well as a smattering of other things depending on how I'm feeling. I tend to have a marginal preference for Tung, though perhaps I'll dig out my BLO for some things soon and see if I've changed my mind...

I do have a cousin who's (I believe quite a well known and respected) cabinet, furniture maker and woodworker. And I believe he uses BLO on most things.