Suggestions for working with celluloid for scales

Celluloid smells like camphor if you even rub it hard.
Yes, it will probably take more than 20 years to see any change, if at all.
Linseed oil will not work on celluloid. Celluloid is a plastic, and it has no grain for the oil to fill. Cell will polish like glass without any finish. Linseed oil would just gum it up.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Celluloid smells like camphor if you even rub it hard.
Yes, it will probably take more than 20 years to see any change, if at all.
Linseed oil will not work on celluloid. Celluloid is a plastic, and it has no grain for the oil to fill. Cell will polish like glass without any finish. Linseed oil would just gum it up.
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Thanks, Bill. In any case, 20 years is a long time. If something bad happens then, well, time for a new set of scales, right? No big deal.
 
Over this past weekend, I set my sights on making the scales. That celluloid isn't easy to work with, is it??

And it definitely does have that camphor smell.

I probably should have picked an easier knife to make them for, but I really wanted them on my Benchmade 930 Kulgera. This folder has the axis lock, which, is no easy lock around which to make scales. In any case, this was my first try at this sort of thing. And I learned a LOT while doing this.

Here's a pic:

BMCelluloid.jpg


Thanks for the encouragement, and for looking.

Folderguy
 
R APPLEBY said:
That looks great:thumbup: Did you use gold leaf under the scales or paint them.
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Unfortunately, I don't have any gold leaf, plus, I've never used it, although I've watched an artist friend apply it. Not tough at all, from what I recall.

I bought the best gold spray paint I could find, and used it. Looks alright, but gold leaf would certainly be more beautiful. Perhaps in the future...
 
All the old Hollywood movies made with Cellulosic plastics are deteriorating in their storage cans. It took about 70 years to lose the battle. Some old comb, mirror, brush, etc. dresser sets were made of mock turtle shell cellulose nitrate plastic. I wonder if they are faring any better.
 
Well, it seems that celluloid can be problematic, very problematic.

However, the stuff I used is so beautiful it just doesn't matter to me.

For now, I have a one-of-a-kind knife. Oh, the Benchmade 930 isn't one of a kind, but with those handles it is a different knife altogether, IMHO.

This afternoon I showed it to a whole slew of buddies and all but one of them liked it. The one who couldn't have cared less doesn't dig knives. Go figure.

One friend, who has a business producing high tech machine parts for industry, took a good look at it, and after I told him how I made it was basically incredulous. He could tell how difficult it would be to make it considering the tools at my disposal. And when I explained a bit about the Axis lock and that darned spring in there, and how it moves, etc., and how the underside of the scale needs to be carved out, or relieved, what have you, he was impressed, to say the least.

Truth be told, I'd not like to make handles like that for a living...

As a hobby, sure, but otherwise, not for me. Too stressful....

So now, I have a beautiful, true "gentleman's knife" that not only looks great, but performs nicely too. I much prefer it to the way it came from the good folks at Benchmade.

Too bad that celluloid material is in such short supply, but reading that article I understand why.

Is there some other material that is as beautiful as the celluloid but without the negatives?
 
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