Celluloid Scales

[ratman57]

I just got an older Imperial folder with Cracked Ice scales. These scales are beautiful, my camera sucks. I've heard that you need to be careful with them. What are the do's and dont's with this material?

 

[Blues]

I'll let the real experts answer your question more fully but one thing is to avoid storing the knife near your other carbon steel knives.

If (when) it degasses it causes a nasty oxidation and you don't want it to spread to your other knives.

I'm sure Dwight, Charlie and some of the other more experienced vintage collectors can chime in with more hints regarding storage and maintenance.

 

[waynorth]

A nice dark pocket is a good place for it. The worst deterioration I've seen has been in display cases subject to lots of light, especially sunlight!
I keep my valuable ones in the dark, but well ventilated. I had one go off in a small box, and the intensity of the fumes in that tight space ate the knife pretty badly!!
If you are lucky, yours will have been manufactured in optimum conditions, and will last.
No one has been able to predict with any precision if or when some celluloid will deteriorate. A proverbial crapshoot; but sometimes a beautiful one!!

 

[Campbellclanman]

Hey guys...with the knife being of age...would it be foolish to think that it was safe, and that through different storage methods throughout its fairly long life...that if it was going to go off...it should have by now?
When we say "go off"...what actually happens when they do?...is it shrinkage?...what are the things for me to look out for...I have seen shrinkage of Celluloids - actaully quite badly, but what else guys?
Also, when we are talking Celluloid going off...is this all Celluloid that behaves like this, to be honest, there is a selfish motif behind my questions, and was thinking about this old girl...

 

[TLARbb]

Duncan, I am keeping my celluloid handled knives separate from the other non-celluloid ones. I am thinking that one or more of them is a time bomb with the clock ticking, but I don't know which ones. Inspection, cleaning and proper storage are the keys. I keep my celluloid knives on open shelves in a normally dark room. I think outgassing or deterioration will initially be seen as shrinkage and possibly the nickle silver parts will show tarnish at the interfaces between the metal and the bolsters. I also keep these knives with the blades open so that any gassing has someplace other to go than to the blades. I really like the look of cell but I don't think I will buy any more because of the headache of maintaining them. Here is a picture of several Bulldog knives I own that are handled with purple swirl celluloid. Beautiful material.

Ed J

 

[littleknife]

Mr. Levine has this link on his webpage ( http://knife-expert.com/links.htm ) to a Knife World Article by Dennis Ellingsen about the dangers of celluloid:

http://www.oregonknifeclub.org/celluloid_02.html

He has also a link to a picture of a knife with deteriorated celluloid handle scales:

http://www.knife-expert.com/kabarcelluloid.jpg

 

[Campbellclanman]

Hiu Ed,
After reading this thread, and your comments, I have done exactly that as well, I usually keep all brands / styles together, but I have separated the Celluloids now from my other knives, at least they are all out of the light, and the Celluloids are now completely wrapped in plastic and sealed in their bags individually.
Thank you Ed, and everyone ( Im actually raising a nice cool beer to you guys at this moment a very interesting thread, and thank you ratman... on ya brother

 

[Campbellclanman]

Mr. Levine has this link on his webpage ( http://knife-expert.com/links.htm ) to a Knife World Article by Dennis Ellingsen about the dangers of celluloid:

http://www.oregonknifeclub.org/celluloid_02.html

He has also a link to a picture of a knife with deteriorated celluloid handle scales:

http://www.knife-expert.com/kabarcelluloid.jpg

Wow...I am just reading that article...is it really worth having a Celluloid knife?

 

[waynorth]

It is a gamble to own celluloid knives for sure, Duncan.
Wrapping them in plastic will ensure you see the deterioration quickly, if you keep checking them, but will keep the aggressive chemicals close to the knives, ensuring corrosion.
If you wish to preserve them for say, rehandling if needed, then well ventilated storage is better, IMO.

 

[Campbellclanman]

It is a gamble to own celluloid knives for sure, Duncan.
Wrapping them in plastic will ensure you see the deterioration quickly, if you keep checking them, but will keep the aggressive chemicals close to the knives, ensuring corrosion.
If you wish to preserve them for say, rehandling if needed, then well ventilated storage is better, IMO.

Hi Charlie, ....I have just gone in and change my storage methods, ...my insane reason of thinking was...if one did? gas off...it would be contained..
My problem is I am in an old house, pretty easy to get into if you want-no mmatter how good the locks are, so I just dont have my knives in a displayed area-hence me having to "stash" them away...its an awful hassle,
Celluloids are now breathing..seperatly from my others
Thank you for your help guys:thumbup:

 

[jamesbeat]

Celluloid is also extremely flammable (it's basically a lump of smokeless powder used in ammunition) here's a video I posted on youtube a few years ago in which I set fire to an old straight razor scale:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqoT8qL8Iww&feature=youtube_gdata_player
The razor was corroded, but I managed to polish it up and rescue it.
After seeing what the decomposing celluloid did to that razor, I just can't be bothered with it, I'll leave it for others to collect.

 

[tongueriver]

Send me your tired, your hungry, your celluloid! I keep them in a dimly lit very dry area in an open cigar box, usually with blades open.