Tortoise scalers, restoration yes/no?

[miha]

Hello gents ,

I have purchased a (as I managed to understand with some help) George Johnson & Co razor (pics below) cca 1810-1850. If I am not mistaken the scales are tortoise (btw is there any sure test to distinguish them from dyed horn)? They look pretty beaten. Would you try to restore these or not? If so what would you recommend besides sanding, polishing, some sort of stabilization (eg epoxy?) anything else?

Thanks for the info!

 

[Ceefuhs]

A soak in Neatsfoot oil will do wonders for most older natural scales. Those are borderline. Soak them and see.

 

[miha]

thanks

 

[Seraphim]

I'm, pretty sure those are mottled horn, not tortoise shell.

And they look well beyond the oil soak stage to me, as they are delaminating quite a bit.

 

[Gamma]

Look like horn to me too.
You may be able to salvage them.
Un-pin them and gently sand the rough spots, try to not reshape them anywhere, ESP the lower curve that protects the edge.
You may have de-lam issues inside, they'll need to be repaired and sanded over also.
If you can get them functional, you can then address the visual with applying oil and some lighter sanding with higher grit w/d papers. They may never come back to looking brandy new but, with some coaxing, they may come around so they're solid and functional with a worn but dignified look.

 

[miha]

hey guys,
thanks for your help... I too am a bit afraid that the delamination proceeded too far, here are some additional pics below,.. I think I will make new horn razors and try to salvage the old ones anyway. Through the debate on SRP, I am currently planning to sand them,.. fill the delaminatioins with epoxy mixed with horn dust, sand again, polish and hope for the best , what do you think about this plan...?I hope I will manage to save the flower collars (any tips here, was thinking of drilling the pins (hand held))

Since I am from Europe,.. can anyone give me any hits about where to get horn blanks around here (with a reasonable price)

 

[Sando]

Does horn react negatively to super glue?

 

[miha]

I don't know but I think that CA based glues lack the flexibility, so I would vote for epoxy based blues..

 

[Gamma]

I've used both - seems to work fine either way. Not sure about long term though.
They're in a pretty harsh state - see what they look like after sanding.

 

[H Brad Boonshaft]

Looks like a steel pin, I would file and drill slowly with a drill press. Be very careful removing and not try pushing through, pull off each scale instead. If the pin is bent you will crack the scales.

Nice blade, very little hone wear. Try to save the scales, you have nothing to lose.

Good luck.

 

[miha]

Thanks for the input Brad,.. I must admit this razor is still waiting the line so that I get to it. I am a bit bothered on how to save the collars, since they look very nice. The problem I have with your fine idea is that I don't have drill press, I do the work on my kitchen table at night ... I'll have to think of something before I start working on it.

Br

 

[daflorc]

if you really, really wanna keep em, somehow, wipe them down with a moist rag and get all the dirt out, then cover them in bar top epoxy. problems solved!

 

[ouch]

I absolutely, positively cannot own a razor with tortoise scales. It has nothing to do with ethics or looks. It's the way this guy pronounces "tortoise". It makes my head asplode.

 

[Gvanaken]

www.Abbeyhorn.co.uk

Just found this site. They seem very reasonable. Good luck!

George

 

[Kentos]

I absolutely, positively cannot own a razor with tortoise scales. It has nothing to do with ethics or looks. It's the way this guy pronounces "tortoise". It makes my head asplode.

Has the man any molars in his mouth?

 

[bongofury]

I've never tried this before, but there is a possibility that guitar scratch boards might work.
Plenty of choices on ebay:

 

[Gamma]

I've used pickguards for scales. Works fine. A little flexy though.