Search results

Tempering your blade one more time at 325 will not hurt it, in fact, if anything, it may help a little bit. On the other hand, I use Duracote. I have it on about 200 knives now and haven't had any problems with it. It's not as tough as Cericote but it doesn't require oven baking. Cericote and...

Thanks everybody.

Yes, that's my store. Read a little higher up for the Readers Digest version of restoring a tusk. Click on my website to learn a little about my store if you want to.

Yes, people use the teeth (molars) and the bones, mostly leg bones.

The prices you see on the internet are mostly unrealistic. What you are seeing are the posted prices, very seldom are they actually sold for that. Especially from Siberia (Russia) The "fishing" price much more than the actual price that it sells for in the end. I sold this one for under 20 K

First you let it dry for a year with hose clamps on it so it doesn't crack. Then you start to sand all the rotten stuff off while saving the dust. Next you hose it down with CA glue to seal it all up and stabilize it. Then you fill all the cracks with epoxy mixed with the ivory dust you saved...

I always use my real name. I want people to know who they are dealing with.

I try not to do merchandising on chat forums. Many forums prohibit it. This one, and other like it are found by native people in northern Alaska. It's not a matter of who can dig for mammoth tusks it's more a matter of where you look for them. It is not legal to get them from any public lands...

Sheaths are not a must but they do make selling knives much easier. The first question a potential buyer always asks when deciding whether or not to buy a knife is "Where can I get a sheath and how much will it cost me." To me a sheath is an extension of the craft. It should reflect the style of...

Thanks Boss. Thanks everybody.

If you look below and behind the finished tusk, you can see an unfinished one for comparison. I will post more when I get a chance.

Yes, I'm sorry, it's a mammoth tusk

I just finished restoring this tusk. It's owner is picking it up this week. Thought you'd like to see it before it goes.

When we are ready to buff a handle on a knife I would say to an apprentice Ok now "Buffit....Jimmy" Or when I'm holding something that needed to be clamped I'd say OK "Clampit.....Jed"

This weekend Warner ground the four sides of the billet flat on the surface grinder. We marked it at a thirty degree angel and cut it into tiles 5/8 of and inch thick. Even after annealing the billet was too hard to cut on the band saw so we had to cut it on the chop saw. Here's one of his...

I'm not sure, but a very large persentage of the people that test for ABS journeyman pass, and a large percentage of them had gone to the school. I flew down from Alaska to go to the school and meet with a master-smith for the performance test. I bet you can find one close enough to drive to.

Both, partly. I made the exact same knife to win the first two rounds on FIF that I made to pass my performance ABS journeyman smith test. Many of the things I learned from the ABS school were also applied to the weapon I made to win the final round of FIF. Especially the heat treating.

Everyone has their own reasons to go to the school. Some, so they can sell more knives. Some, so they can get more for their knives. For me it was for self accomplishment (Getting my JS stamp that is). It WILL make you a better knife maker. Not just you, anybody. If you have time, you should do...

I did mine. And will do it again.

Glad you are OK. We just felt it. No damage.