Someone showed some pretty sexy blonde horn scales here the other day, after they got all cleaned up. I read that and went "AAAHHH!" Went to the trash can and pulled these out, as I had just thrown them away thinking they were nastified celluloid and I didn't want them next to the ancient blade they were on. I'm now convinced they are not.
however, they are cracked and peeling. for example, the "shimmer" seen here is what results from self-delamination from the edge:
you can see plenty of cracks, and on the inside of one of the scales, the crack has started a delamination and is pulling back.
it sticks far enough into the gap between the scales (when assembled) that the edge of the blade would hit it, and there's no way to force it back to "laminate" it again. That thing is sturdy, not a flimsy floppy piece. It doesn't bend.
So, there are lots of foibles in these scales, but I kinda like their character, and the brownish "blushing" on the one that I thought was due to getting burned somewhere along it's life I think is actually some natural coloring now that I look at it. I'll sand them down smooth, clean them up, sand back that sticky-out part mentioned above flush to the back of the rest of the scales, polish them up and stick 'em on a nekkid razor (I've got too many of those). They won't be pretty, and they will show their age, but they seem to still be structurally sound, so I'll use them.
Is that the best course of action? Are these beyond hope? I guess whatever your answer, I'm gonna have fun trying anyway, just thought I'd ask
however, they are cracked and peeling. for example, the "shimmer" seen here is what results from self-delamination from the edge:
you can see plenty of cracks, and on the inside of one of the scales, the crack has started a delamination and is pulling back.
it sticks far enough into the gap between the scales (when assembled) that the edge of the blade would hit it, and there's no way to force it back to "laminate" it again. That thing is sturdy, not a flimsy floppy piece. It doesn't bend.
So, there are lots of foibles in these scales, but I kinda like their character, and the brownish "blushing" on the one that I thought was due to getting burned somewhere along it's life I think is actually some natural coloring now that I look at it. I'll sand them down smooth, clean them up, sand back that sticky-out part mentioned above flush to the back of the rest of the scales, polish them up and stick 'em on a nekkid razor (I've got too many of those). They won't be pretty, and they will show their age, but they seem to still be structurally sound, so I'll use them.
Is that the best course of action? Are these beyond hope? I guess whatever your answer, I'm gonna have fun trying anyway, just thought I'd ask
