Any way to incorporate piano ivory?

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Sep 29, 2009
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So my father asked me today, after getting a glimpse of his incomplete knife. If there is anything I can do with piano ivory in regards to somehow using it in a handle. Apparently he somehow got his hands on piano keys from an old piano that he separated or cut away the actual ivory from the keys. Needless to say it's not very wide or thick. But I was wondering if there is anyway to incorporate it into a knife somehow. Maybe even do it as an inlay at some part of the handle but I don't really know how well it would hold up as you'd have to likely have it epoxied somehow into the rest of the handle I'm guessing.

Or is it one of those things that really just can't be used effectively?
 
Yes. Super glue works well, too.
Ivory will polish to a mirror finish.
 
Richard has the best solution ( unless you have experience cutting out and inlaying ivory)

If you have about 20 keys.

Using 14 keys, laminate up a block of ivory and colored fiber spacer material. Black would be my choice, but whatever you like will work. Make it about 1" wide. Epoxy it up with good quality resin,and let it cure in the clamps for 24 hours. Only clamp tight enough to hold snug, or you will squeeze out all the epoxy. Cut this in half and use it as bolster blocks. If doing scales, you can use these as a striped bolsters with the stripes running vertical.

If doing a hidden tang, you can make a fancy block. Continue on by sanding one of the striped sides of each laminate block flat, and epoxy the block together with a strips of spacer material and ivory pieces between the joint. This is a bit hard to describe, but since one ivory piece isn't as wide as your blocks are, you will use two pieces in each laminate ( side by side - sticking out a bit on each side of the block). This won't show, since the joint will be down the center of the block ( and drilled out when the block is fitted to the tang). Use four pieces of spacer material and six pieces of ivory. Place these between the two blocks (S-I/I-S-I/I-S-I/I-S). This new lamination will be at 90 degrees to the laminations in the blocks. Sand the block down to remove the excess ivory sticking out, and you now will have an approx. 1+" wide by 1.25"+ by 1.25"+ bolster block. This will make a neat looking block. Install it with this last lamination running horizontal ( ricasso to butt axis) on each side. When you grind the block ( avoid heat buildup ,or you will scorch the ivory) the laminates will look like fancy diamondwood.
 
I've actualy used piano ivory as inlay material in water buffalo scales.
It gave a very nice black/white composition
 
Thanks for the ideas guys. The bolster idea seems the most viable, however my father is fairly accomplished when it comes to woodworking as well. Maybe if I do go the inlay route I can have him rout out the inlay section. I don't know how many keys he has, with a little luck I might be able to try both at some point.
 
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