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Maintaining Timber Scales

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
I have always been a timber sort of bloke, so my preferred SRs all have timber scales.

To maintain my timber scales I use a wax consisting of beeswax and Shea Butter using the following routine:

When I first receive the SR with timber scales, I apply a light coating of wax to the dry scales both outside and inside (using a cotton bud or Q-tip). This is repeated daily for about a week, whether the SR has been used or not. Before the second and subsequent waxings, I polish the timber scales with a clean soft cotton cloth. That way the wax has about a day to soak into the timber before being polished

After the first week I then only wax the timber scales about once a month or once every week if the SR is often used. This keeps my timber scales in top condition.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
I’ve always avoided wooden scales, primarily due to weight but expect teak would be a good choice since it is naturally waterproof.
 
Out of curiosity, why shea butter? I’ve always assumed it goes rancid.

Edit: the refined varieties are probably more stable though?
 
CA (Cyanoacrylate a.k.a. superglue) is the way to go if you are rescaling in wood.
For razor that already come in wood scales, best is to hope the finish is CA.
If well done, it keeps the appearance while creating a waterproof seal. Added benefit is that it will also work on wood too dense to be oiled like ebony or cocobolo.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
I’ve always avoided wooden scales, primarily due to weight but expect teak would be a good choice since it is naturally waterproof.
It's not the weight of the scales so much that affect the use of the SR. It is more the position of the overall centre of gravity of the SR.

For me, I prefer my SRs to have their centre of gravity at about the pivot pin when opened at 180deg. All of my SRs meet this centre of gravity preference. They have either Mahogany or Ebony timber scales.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Out of curiosity, why shea butter? I’ve always assumed it goes rancid.

Edit: the refined varieties are probably more stable though?
So far I have not noticed any rancidity with my beeswax and shea butter mix in over 4 months.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
It's not the weight of the scales so much that affect the use of the SR. It is more the position of the overall centre of gravity of the SR.

For me, I prefer my SRs to have their centre of gravity at about the pivot pin when opened at 180deg. All of my SRs meet this centre of gravity preference. They have either Mahogany or Ebony timber scales.
Yes I agree balance is more important than overall weight. I like them light and balanced I suppose.
 

rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
.... I like them light and balanced I suppose.
You should then be looking at the overall mass of your SR and the location of the balance point. All blade steels pretty much have the same density and SR thickness is dependent on the blade height and desired bevel angle.

You should be aiming for a smaller blade, say 4/8 or 5/8, with a relatively accute bevel angle and shorter blade length. Then you match all this up with scales that balance the razor to your liking.

I prefer about 6/8 blade with a more obtuse bevel angle having a total mass of about 65g and a balance point near the pivot pin. This is achieved with timber scales.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
You should then be looking at the overall mass of your SR and the location of the balance point. All blade steels pretty much have the same density and SR thickness is dependent on the blade height and desired bevel angle.

You should be aiming for a smaller blade, say 4/8 or 5/8, with a relatively accute bevel angle and shorter blade length. Then you match all this up with scales that balance the razor to your liking.

I prefer about 6/8 blade with a more obtuse bevel angle having a total mass of about 65g and a balance point near the pivot pin. This is achieved with timber scales.
I have mostly small blades 4/8, 9/16 and 5/8 with 9/16 my favorite. I only have two or three 6/8. They are fine but I prefer smaller. I had a 7/8 Herder and sold it. The only near wedge I have is a 9/16 Eskiltuna blade and it shaves very well and not too weighty. The small blades are very quick and Maneuverable. I also like shavettes quote a lot. A 16 degree bevel is the sweet spot and I never hone with tape to disturb it.
 
Shea butter goes rancid like a lot of food oils and most of those are not suitable as wood finishes.

You say you have tried this on 4 razors for 4 months but just 3 months ago you started posting about your first razor (a RSO). Be careful what you recommend to folks before they go ruining wooden scales based on you trying it a couple of times. There are a lot of tried and true ways to treat wood that has less chance of ruining it.

 
Its all about weight, balance and preference. I love wood scale and will surely do some more.

Rubberwood scales treated with beeswax only. Razor 6/8 hollow grind weighting 43g
EBB801A9-0E30-41B2-9AF0-0C5B6A288AB5.jpeg


Mopane wood with a lot of layers of clearcoat. a lot heavier but well balanced. Razor 6/8 hollow grind weighting 52g
8A739105-71E6-4A60-9766-453AFAF7BC6F.jpeg
 
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rbscebu

Girls call me Makaluod
Yes, you are correct. It has only been 3 months and 22 days since I received my first SR (with timber scales), only later to join and lean on B&B that it was a RSO. Sorry for the confusion.

The wax I use is a mixture of beeswax and shea butter, normally used as a leather conditioner. After 3 months and 22 days it has not gone rancid. The mixture that I purchased may be mostly beeswax.

I think that the main thing I am getting at is to treat (wax) your timber scales often at first and then you can reduce the effort.
 
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