Tortoise care?

malextwo

malextwo

Joined
Jul 25, 2005
Messages
901
I have this beauty of a lockback and am unsure of how to care for the scales. I've used mineral oil on several other materials (and have heard some say, "don't") and wonder if you guys have any thoughts?

Thanx,
Mike
 
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I've used Renaissance Wax on just about everything, including tortoise shell, with good results. It's a great all-around protectant and gives the handles a nice luster.

Nice knife!
 
nice knife! I really doubt that it needs any care... JMO
keep it off the floorboard and it'll be fine :D
 
That's a real beauty. Personally, I'd give it a *light* wipe with mineral oil - get a tiny bit on your finger and apply it. Then let sit for a minute or two and wipe it down with some very soft cotton cloth. Tortoiseshell is mostly made of keratin - same basic material as hair, fingernails, and true horn - like bighorn sheep horns. I don't care how old it was before it was put on this knife -- the issue is that it's been freshly worked and I think a little care is in order. If you were actually carrying and using it, I'd say that the oils from your hands would be plenty, but I rather doubt you're carrying and using it as your EDC. :p (Oh yeah, and keep it away from carpet beetles: http://www.knife-expert.com/bugs036.txt -- note, in this article BRL recommends a regular wipe with a soft cloth with a bit of mineral oil or camellia oil applied as general care before putting a knife away.)
 
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I have a whole Tortoise-Shell whose occupant must've vacated the premises several decades ago:D Wonder HOW it can be worked,given it's so curved? Perhaps Tortoiseshell refers to the large water species such as turtles?

I put beeswax furniture polish (Antiquewax) on it from time to time and it polishes up really well:thumbup:I suggest the same for knife scales.

As for mineral oil, I know it's an article of faith in many quarters, but I've become rather dubious about it. Knifemaker Bill de Shivs is very against its use and my modest experiments seem to bear this out.It gives an initial good lustre but being a petroleum product it acts eventually as a softener and this can I suppose degrade bone or horn(stag). It has reacted with some of the brass liners in my knives causing verdigris or brass-bleed, i may have been unlucky but it's beeswax for my scales for now.

Regards, W
 
this is a rare product in use today. i've seen quite a bit in hair brushes etc. but were much older. durability was good however no one seems to know how old makers cured & polished it off. it was one of 1st protected natural resorces in world with the french stopping exportation in early 1900s. if i was you i would visit larger musuems & get their maintenance information. as mentioned protection from bettles is a must. i had a horn bruuckman whittler attacked in early 80s, was a heart breaker since it was a crocus polished beauty.
 
As an aside, when I was visiting the little island kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific around ten years ago, I traded a Swiss Champ to a local fisherman for a shopping bag full of tortoise shell - they routinely dined on the poor endangered critters back then :(. I gave a lot of it to a couple of well known custom knifemaker buddies (who will remain unnamed), but I'm saving the best pieces for a few just-right custom slippies, as yet to be determined.

tortoise01.jpg


tortoise03.jpg


Beautiful material. Too bad it isn't renewable. The darker pieces are actually deeply patterned and translucent when held up to the light. The inside has gorgeous white (calcareous?) patterning that's seldom seen. It seems very durable; almost like a natural plastic, so I wouldn't worry too much about its longevity (as long as nothing eats it!).
 
rick you made what may be the best trade of your life. that's the most shell i've seen in one place in my whole life. keep your business out of the ears of U.S.customs.
 
@willgoy: you must use *food grade mineral oil* -- not some random grade of mineral oil that was processed for some unknown purpose with unknown additives and impurities.
 
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