Art Knife IVORY substitute!

I'm not sure if it's fully in effect yet. I was talking to the fine folks at Boone Trading the other day and they were still selling what they had so I think there is some time. The problem is after it's in full swing you can't move your knives anymore.....I do love me some Micarta though so it's not the end of the world. Anyone seen any unicorn around lately?

P.S. Beautiful work your wife does David Martin, and for all intents and purposes 90% of the people in the world can't tell the difference between the real deal and synthetic...I guess all that really matters is the beauty of the piece!
 
Thank you for this compliment. Greenies make a big deal of this but cows will continue to produce, synthetic products will be made and other products used for art. This ban will hardly make a blip on the EKG screen. Not a bad thing to save animals. It's hard to tell the difference between these materials. DM
 
SadSappySucker said:
This. Well I was actually thinking polar bear snouts, but your idea is good too.
I watched a special on how they could humanely remove rhino horn. Their methods didn't hurt the animal, and I believe they did so in a manner that it would actually grow back over time. I don't see why this isn't an option.
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Because elephants grow tusks to eat, rather than to make decorations for people?


How about an exchange program? Ivory collectors's teeth for living elephant tusks?

This just grosses me out that modern people want anything to do with products made from elephants, whales, tigers or rhinos. The ban is a good way of curing this bizarre desire to own body parts of species that can't afford to give them up anymore. You don't have to be a "greenie" to be against pointless extinctions.
 
Personally, I'm all for the harvesting from animals that died a natural death. I'm definitely against killing an animal solely for profit. As far as indigenous peoples are concerned, they have every right to hunt and harvest for food, for clothing, and for that jewelry unique to their culture, but not for resale or profit.
 
RX-79G said:
Because elephants grow tusks to eat, rather than to make decorations for people?


How about an exchange program? Ivory collectors's teeth for living elephant tusks?

This just grosses me out that modern people want anything to do with products made from elephants, whales, tigers or rhinos. The ban is a good way of curing this bizarre desire to own body parts of species that can't afford to give them up anymore. You don't have to be a "greenie" to be against pointless extinctions.
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I wasn't implying that I support the use of this kind of material. I was simply saying that if you are going to use it, which people are, then why not take it with as little serious impact as possible. The rhinos I had heard about were kept in fenced in areas, just like farm raised cattle or pigs. It's one of the better non synthetic alternatives. It's not like they were running around slaughtering wild rhinos, and then letting them fend for their selves in the wild without horns. Again I do not support this kind of stuff, but whether we want to admit it or not 99% of us support the unethical treatment of animals in some way, shape, or form. I am all for taking steps towards more humane methods. This stuff takes baby steps though, and you can't just wake up one morning and tell the world that they can no longer buy, sell, or transfer a material that has been used for a very very long time. You have to ween them off. We are a stubborn people, plain and simple.
 
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SadSappySucker said:
I wasn't implying that I support the use of this kind of material. I was simply saying that if you are going to use it, which people are, then why not take it with as little serious impact as possible. The rhinos I had heard about were kept in fenced in areas, just like farm raised cattle or pigs. It's one of the better non synthetic alternatives. It's not like they were running around slaughtering wild rhinos, and then letting them fend for their selves in the wild without horns. Again I do not support this kind of stuff, but whether we want to admit it or not 99% of us support the unethical treatment of animals in some way, shape, or form. I am all for taking steps towards more humane methods. This stuff takes baby steps though, and you can't just wake up one morning and tell the world that they can no longer buy, sell, or transfer a material that has been used for a very very long time. You have to ween them off. We are a stubborn people, plain and simple.
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I wasn't picking on you, but tusks are not horns, and the demand for both far outstrips the domesticated supply.

I disagree about "weening". Because people are so greedy and stupid, you have to do things like ban ALL trading of stuff like ivory, or there will always be a side industry leaking fresh material into the marketplace. Illegal ivory has been a problem for decades and ivory enthusiasts have not responded strongly enough - so it has to just end: No more commerce. They are lucky that they get to keep what they have, despite most of it being fruit of the kind of bad behavior that got us to today.

When I was a kid some cars still had whale oil in their transmissions. There was a time when whales and elephants were so numerous that "harvesting" them for pianos and margarine might have seemed okay - but in the modern world it is barbarism.

If ivory or tiger penis is so important to humanity, spend the billions to clone it. Until then, shutting down trade will still only be a band-aid on a horrid and completely unnecessary extermination.

I'd prefer that modern people give up on ivory and even ivory substitutes so the demand just goes away, rather than have new generations lamenting that they can't get the "real stuff".
 
RX-79G said:
Because elephants grow tusks to eat, rather than to make decorations for people?


How about an exchange program? Ivory collectors's teeth for living elephant tusks?

This just grosses me out that modern people want anything to do with products made from elephants, whales, tigers or rhinos. The ban is a good way of curing this bizarre desire to own body parts of species that can't afford to give them up anymore. You don't have to be a "greenie" to be against pointless extinctions.
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The really unfortunate part of all this legislation though is that it won't save or prevent the killing of one single living animal. All it will do is make millions of law-abiding citizens felons almost over night.....isn't that odd. If only we could get China on board, since they are own 90% of the market on black market ivory and trade...almost none of which ever sees American soil.
 
...btw I love elephants: they are one of my favorite animals and I don't think I'd ever have the heart to see one die.....my interest is purely from the perspective of someone who wants to make high-end art knives, and until now the go-to material sought by collectors and valued above all has been ivory. I've never used it, but want to emulate the characteristics that make it beautiful, in a material that collectors will still see value in!

Semper Pachydermus Maximus!!!
 
cwhite said:
The really unfortunate part of all this legislation though is that it won't save or prevent the killing of one single living animal. All it will do is make millions of law-abiding citizens felons almost over night.....isn't that odd. If only we could get China on board, since they are own 90% of the market on black market ivory and trade...almost none of which ever sees American soil.
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How is it making anyone a felon? The point of the law is to make ivory financially unappealing because you can't buy or sell it, which will decrease demand at the source.
 
....maybe you should read the regulation set forth by Fish and Wildlife in it's entirety along with the Executive Decree from His Majesty that goes in conjunction with the law.
 
But I digress. The purpose of this thread was to garner an opinion from the collective about the current conundrum facing the market of Art Knives! What say you all: Shall we rally around the synthetics as a viable and eco-friendly option that is both beautiful, sustainable and attainable?
 
Nice work there, David Martin! And congrats on 10K posts - awesome feat!

And thanks for the link, RX-79G.
 
Thank you Derek. It does take knowledge, persistence and time. Desire falls in there somewhere. DM
 
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