Pointers for working with Mammoth ivory

Freds Edge

Freds Edge

Well-Known Member
I am using some Mammoth ivory scales on a folder and am looking for some pointers on cutting ,polishing , drilling and such . any help will greatly appreciated .
 
Just my take..... Cutting: Sharp blade, and go slowly. Try to avoid cutting inline with any cracks/checks. Drilling: Same, new/sharp bits. Some like to drill it on high speed, others low speed. Personally I always try to drill at higher speeds but with a VERY slow feed rate, from what will be the exposed side, otherwise I always seem to get chipping where the bit exits. Sanding and polishing:......TAKE YOUR TIME. When fossil ivory gets thin, it warps easily from sanding heat.....if it gets warm to the touch, set it aside and let it cool naturally. DO NOT get in a hurry and dunk in in water! That makes it warp even more. Normally what happens to me is it always warps (cups) towards the side I sand on (doing it on the machine). If I have to get really thin, I do a lot flat side sanding by hand, one a granite plate. Its a lot of work, but it doesn't warp.

I've found that fossil ivory doesn't like the flat bottom counterbores, when I try to do it that way, I always get tiny chips all around the perimeter of the counterbored hole..... just drives me nuts. I tend to use a standard 135 degree drill bit for counterboring fossil ivory.....don't get the chipping around the perimeter of the hole that way.

Those are just some of the things that come to mind. I've talked to a lot of makers about how they think fossil ivory is best worked, and each seem to have their own unique methods for working it.
 
Ed , thanks for the helpful info , I am going to start this week on the scales and it sound like the most important thing is to take my time , and sharp tools .
 
Keep us posted on how it goes. I also have some mammoth ivory that's waiting for a project. I'd be interested in hearing how it goes for you.
 
Like Ed said some work the mammoth ivory in a different manner.The other ivories I haven't used. I use a 35 grit belt to establish flats and then go with the finer grits both on a 2 X 72 platen and a disc whatever I feel will do to the job at hand. The surface plate I used a lot before I had the speed controlled Rod Neilson disc grinder and Ed's set up suggestions.The tang side or outside liner side must be taken down so that when the exterior is worked on all the great color and texture that you paid so much for and wanted to show aren't ground away when you go to finishing the outside.It's true that heat can cause the ivory to warp but as I go along I dip the ivory into water on a very regular basis. T should point out here that I only make liner locking folders. I understand this will destroy elephant and perhaps walrus ivory but have not worked these.If there are cracks I will immediately apply first the very thin CA glue and then a few minutes later the medium thickness. It will not be necessary to grind away any glue residue unless it it doesn't conform to the shape of the handle. It will finish just fine with the rest of the handle. I don't use counter bores but just use the regular bits both for clearance and for pin or screw head size. The speed on my drill press for the drilling is on the slow side but the drill bits must be factory sharp. I do not sharpen bits. Just test before use on some scrap doing the clearance hole first. I find mammoth ivory very easy to use, but the I have done several hundred folders with this material. Now, on the other hand that mammoth tooth, it drives me nuts trying to do what I feel is a reasonable job. It doesn't surprise me any more when a scale seems to self destruct it just makes me breath a lot faster when I start jumping up and down.
Frank
 
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Those look like really solid pieces (don't see any cracks/checks)..... that will make thing easier. Looks like theres not a lot of "bark" left! :) (We all do that when we first work with this stuff)
 
Ed , is bark the grayish brown area on each scale, I intended to incorporate that into the handle, is that a no no.
 
The color is what most refer to as "the bark"...... its generally only a "skin" on the outside of most fossil ivories. In the pieces you pictured, it would be the tan/brown stuff. Ideally you want to leave as much of the bark/color as possible on the finished scales. The hardest part for most folks who are starting to use fossil ivories, is NOT grinding/sanding off the bark.

Generally, the deeper the color runs in a piece of ivory, the more expensive it is. Color wise, blues and greens are the most rare.....the most sought after, and the most expensive.
 
I am finding that establishing a flat is difficult , I am finding small cracks that I'm repairing before continuing. This material grinds tough.
 
While most folks seem to like the bark best on mammoth ivory, I think the inside ivory is really pretty. Sometimes it will have a bit of tan color, other times it will be almost pure white ivory color - VERY NICE!! I like working with mammoth ivory, but have only used it on slipjoints and as spacers in kitchen knives like below.

Inside_Handle-s_zpsnir2t8rl.jpg
 
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