Bering Sea Gold!!

R

rootes_of_ohio

Well-Known Member
There are a couple of shows on Discovery Channel, I think, that highlight gold mining in Alaska.

One of the shows deals with dredge mining in the Bering Sea.

Well, here is a different kind of Bering Sea Gold.

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This fossil walrus ivory was washed up on shore in a storm late November of 2011.
It is very typical of Bering Sea beachwash with the deep colors, good texture and minimal or no cracks.

This is beautiful ivory all the way around.

No, it's not for sale.
This material I scraped, cleaned and initial sanded today.
It needs to be cured for about 6 months before anything else can be done with it.

I just thought you might enjoy seeing all the color in this different kind of Bering Sea gold!

Be good to yourselves.

Tim
 
Tim . I have bought and used North Sea "gold" which can gave those terrific colours. It is all mammoth. Somehow once in a while there will be a smear or very fine thread of real gold or silver in the ivory itself. The smears are caused by the metal in a molten state that has burned into and settled into cracks and on the surface. The threads inside the ivory itself I have not yet found or heard an answer for. To me it is the most beautiful natural material there is. I have some that is orange and black and pieces that are completly sky blue also to black. I believe the drying and management of preparation for use allows mammoth ivory to be used without much concern for further shrinking and cracking in the future. I'm sure it must be the same for walrus ivory.
In the past I would take the ivory, preferably in pieces, and use a microwave to dry it. Much care is needed for this. Lots of heat and the material withh cook and crack. I start with say 10 seconds and feel the ivory. If it is a bit more than warm to hold in the hand that is the temperature you want but not too hot to hold. Leave it out till it cools and redo three times more. I have done this with ivory out of the ground only a few months and have seen the moitsure produced, and later within a month or so used that same ivory with success.
Did I help a bit? I sure hope so. Frank
 
Tim,
I am drooling please stop!!! Thanks for the photos and the pins look great now just need some Maple Leaf damascus:)

Jay
 
Hey Frank!

The fine lines of gold and silver in mammoth ivory come from the metal that is dissolved in water.
The mammoth acts as a filter or sieve for these microscopic particles that exist in the surrounding soil and water.
As the ivory absorbs minerals, the gold and silver particles cling to one another and tend to settle together.
This is why you will see fine lines of gold, and more often silver, in mammoth ivory.
The silver color may not actually be silver as many metals show as that color, but the principle is the same.
I have worked with alot of ivory over the years and the only mammoth from Russia that has the silver lines comes from the area around Novosibirsk and the coal mines.

The microwave drying method might work on North Sea mammoth because of the way it is usually structured.
North Sea mammoth usually has a rotten core and the bark, which has all the color, many times has little interior clinging to it.
That makes for less problems with the heat generated in the microwave as the only material drying is the bark.

If you put Siberian or Alaskan mammoth ivory in the microwave, I suspect there would be a few problems because there is usually alot more interior to deal with. That interior holds most of the moisture and reacts violently to heat of any kind. Since the bark and the interior are also different densities and structurally are different, there is a constant tug of war between bark and interior when the interior is present.

Fossil Walrus ivory MUST be dried slowly and carefully.
The core and dentine dry at different rates because of their make up.
I think Fossil Walrus in the microwave would be a recipe for disaster because it is so much different in composition from North Sea mammoth and even mammoth from other sources. It has also been my experience that leaving core on a set of scales with the dentine makes for a very unstable handle material because the core and dentine react so much differently to heat, cold, humidity, etc. etc.

Fossil walrus is also soooooooo expensive that I don't take any chances with it. Makes me want to cry when a $500 piece of FW shows spiral cracking and then falls apart into shards.

It is interesting to hear of other people's methods and experiences with the different material, particularly ivory, which is a favorite of mine.
Good to hear what you have seen and done! Helps everybody.

Take Care,

Tim
 
Why was my reply removed?Here it is again.
Hey, I've wanted to get that answer for years!!! Thank you so much. No it wasn't North Sea ivory I did in the microwave but mammoth from near White Horse Canada which is near Alaska. AS well thse were pieces of bark. Your information told me I was a pretty lucky guy who got away wuth something only because certain conditions were in place to let me and all by chance. So once again the education has come around and removed some false ideas and perhaps saved me trouble in the future. Thank you so very much ,Tim. Frank
 
Some additional information about ivory layers (with photos too!)

Thanks Frank!
Seems like we are having a nice conversation.
Anybody else out there want to chime in???

Anyway.
A couple of new pics showing the bark and interior "layers" of mammoth ivory.
In an ideal world, only the bark layer would be part of a scale.
This would make the ivory much more stable on the knife.

But, as you can see from the second pic, the bark layer can be very thin.

photo 1.jpgphoto 2.JPG

Be good to yourselves.

Tim
 
Yes, I'm feeling very good having someone with accepted knowledge pass it along to me and of course others.
Well, that outside layer can be so beautiful. I like to place an arc my knife sides front to back and bottom to top. It means having bolsters close to finish size so that I can remove material from the bottom of the ivory leaving it a bit high at the bolsters.Of course sizing down to the bolsters often means the outside colouring is removed. This can however accent the ivory colours that are remaining in the highest area.
Tim, if you have anything you might like to pass along, please do. There are many here that will take advantage of your remarks as well as me. Thanks. Frank
 
I agree with Frank Tim it is great to hear from somebody that has knowledge to pass along so Thanks:)
 
Not trying to steal your post, but wanted to show you some pieces of mammoth ivory a friend sent me. This is the bluest bark I've ever seen and I'm real nervous about cutting it up. I've always bought scales before. It's the natural color, no dye or anything.
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This is a chunk of tusk he sent me also
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That's a beauty!
Both pieces are, actually.

If you need any info on cutting it up, just let me know.
I've cut thousands and thousands and thousands of ivory and stag scales.....................

Tim
 
Thanks for the information. I'll be in Alaska this coming June and July. I guess I'll have too add Beach combing to my list. I have made many trips to Alaska and never thought of looking for Ivory, etc.......
 
A question for Roots Of Ohio,
Can you tell me about straightening bent ivory by soaking it in vinaigrette until it gets rubbery then clamping it straight untill it dries? I'm trying this process right now and am wondering if it's going to stay straight after it dries and I unclamp it.

Thanks,
Calvin
 
Now that's a really good question.

First, the disclaimer...................
The real answer is 'I don't know.'
Just about the time I think I know something, good old Mother Nature shows me that I really know nothing!

The most likely answer is no, the piece will not stay straight.
It has been my experience that once a piece gets a warp to it, the only way to correct that warp or bend is to correct what ever caused it to warp or bend in the first place. Often, with mammoth, it is the different layers inside the tusk itself that causes unseen stresses which, in turn, makes the piece move. Sometimes the mammoth was cut or sanded incorrectly at some point. Sometimes, the ivory was just not dry enough. Most of the time, it is hard to know just why one piece will warp and another won't.

If it were me, and I was putting alot of time and effort into a knife, I would not put a straightened piece of ivory on it.
I think the risk of it warping/bending and ruining the knife is too great.

IMHO

Tim
 
beautiful stuff, but it can also drive you crazy. You never know what will happen once you start sawing a tusk.
 
I've had great luck with walrus but this last one had the deep dark colors and was indeed cracked inside. Luckily I was able to use most of it anyway.

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