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sanding/polishing scales

will have a restore inbound.

what is your preferred material for lightly sanding or cleaning up and polishing plastic, bakelite, etc. scales????

does a replacement rubber tang grip exist for sale (i.e. like on a filarmonica) on the market?

thanks all.

camo
 
Flitz, mothers, various polishing compounds on wheels. But first two by hand (or wheel).

Sorry, not sure what a rubber tang grip is.
 
I usually lightly sand scales-600, 100, 1200 then buff with jewelers rouge.

No direct source for the rubber tang replacements, some have used the rubber insert on some pens
 
Flitz, mothers, various polishing compounds on wheels. But first two by hand (or wheel).

Sorry, not sure what a rubber tang grip is.

rubber tang grip......for like on a Fili Especial Para Barbas Duras.

although with a lot of the pics I've seen.....may forego worrying about that. it looks like historically they degrade and stain the scales.

thanks all.

camo
 
@camoloc I would remove them as they are a trap for damp and damp is bad, but as you say they do degrade with the oil from your skin but to polish I find Vonax is good for polishing scales.
 
Flitz, mothers, various polishing compounds on wheels. But first two by hand (or wheel).

Sorry, not sure what a rubber tang grip is.

does Flitz affect or remove light engravings when working with metal?

this will be the cleanup specimen.

20200827_070112.jpg


camo
 
Any abrasive can yes. It is a matter of how light the engraving/etch/plating is and the aggressiveness of the polish. Some of those gold washes for example you have to be careful rubbing too hard with a qtip and wd40 they can be so fragile. Have to test and make sure.

You can tape off any area like that and work around it with pretty good results given enough time and patience.
 
Any abrasive can yes. It is a matter of how light the engraving/etch/plating is and the aggressiveness of the polish. Some of those gold washes for example you have to be careful rubbing too hard with a qtip and wd40 they can be so fragile. Have to test and make sure.

You can tape off any area like that and work around it with pretty good results given enough time and patience.

may only do tang and reward then. don't wanna lose anything on this one. have to wait until in hand to know how extensive things are.

camo
 
rubber tang grip......for like on a Fili Especial Para Barbas Duras.

although with a lot of the pics I've seen.....may forego worrying about that. it looks like historically they degrade and stain the scales.

thanks all.

camo

I have a NOS Barbas Duras. I used it for a short while and discovered it trapped moisture underneath the rubber even though I am pretty careful to not get the tang wet.
I immediately cut it off and have never looked back. I have no intention of selling it anyway.
It was nice as a grip enhancer but you need to be diligent to avoid the troubles they cause.
 
I have a NOS Barbas Duras. I used it for a short while and discovered it trapped moisture underneath the rubber even though I am pretty careful to not get the tang wet.
I immediately cut it off and have never looked back. I have no intention of selling it anyway.
It was nice as a grip enhancer but you need to be diligent to avoid the troubles they cause.

thanks.....im gonna avoid adding any rubber on this one.

the biggest decision I've been contemplating is whether to repin in all silver.........or get creative and use silver cups/collars with brass pins create an offset look or tweak. fun problems to have!!!!

didn't think I'd get lucky with a criteria addition this quickly.

camo
 
I would try and save the scales if at all possible, but don't polish the blade with felt pads on a Dremel as it will remove the etching very fast.

thats the game plan. will only touch the blade from the shank and back to tail. most likely just with crocus cloth. have to see what kind of shape things are in.

camo
 
T-Cut works just as well along with Novus no2, but pleased you found you could polish them to a high shine.
 
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thanks.....im gonna avoid adding any rubber on this one.

the biggest decision I've been contemplating is whether to repin in all silver.........or get creative and use silver cups/collars with brass pins create an offset look or tweak. fun problems to have!!!!

didn't think I'd get lucky with a criteria addition this quickly.

camo
I did a similar restore a while ago here.
It shows how to protect etching, the restoration of those style scales (mine are black) and the proper pins to use.
You need the nail style rather than regular pinning rod stock.

As others have said forget about the tang grip.
If you were simply displaying it then fine but if you plan on using it it's a moisture trap.

Metal polish will remove gold but, in general, it's fine for etchings unless they're already badly worn or shallow to begin with.
If it were me I'd get a q-tip and metal polish and go mental on the highlighted spot to test the etching before deciding to do the whole blade or mask it off. (my guess is it'd be fine as the etch looks relatively pronounced on that blade)
1644959171417.png


For plastic or horn scales I use either micro-mesh up to 12k or this turtle stuff but any auto scratch remover will do.
A tiny bit on a microfiber cloth and vigorous polishing between thumb and fore finger.
1644958616664.png
 
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