How durable is Mammoth Ivory? (Bark vs. Interior Ivory)

Macchina

Macchina

Joined
Apr 7, 2006
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I am looking at possibly getting a Mammoth Ivory knife and was wondering about its durability. Since the stuff is thousands of years old, is it as stable as can be or is it still sensitive to environmental changes?

Is the bark likely to crack, many slabs of it appear to already have cracks running through them and it looks like it will fall apart just by looking at it too hard...

I hope it's OK to use KSF's pictures... I think the cracks both adds tons of character but appear as if they weaken the material:

DSC_3164_2__24911.1409905844.1280.1280.jpg
 
If its 'cured' properly after its found and stabilized properly it should last a long time, from what I know about it.

If you drop it on a hard surface it might shatter possibly, and if there are open fissures they could catch on a pocket.

 
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Mammoth Bark/Ivory hold up as well as any other Ivory. As chuckgp said, if it's been treated properly it'll be good to go. I've a bunch of them and do fool around with some of my stag and Mammoth scales. Meaning I'll put them on my belt sander and get them exactly where I want them.

Except for the Ivory Broadway Jack these are all Mammoth including the Madison Barlow like yours which is bark.



The bark is the exterior part of the bone. I love them both as you can tell.

Mike
 
Chuckgp...I am drooling over the toothpick. Can't tell for sure but it looks like a small. It's gorgeous.

Mike
 
I use mine like any other knife, I did sort of baby it when I first received it, (meaning the scales, not the knife) tried not to get it wet etc. but now after I've had it it gets used like any other knife, if I do get the scales wet I do my best to dry them on my jeans, shirt or handkerchief, I occasionally apply mineral oil to the scales with my finger, let it sit for a few minutes and wipe them off. I've read how sensitive mammoth is to temps and humidity, swelling and shrinking, but I live in a moist environment in the summer and a dry cold one in the winter so pretty much both extremes and the scales seem to not have changed, I do carry mine tethered in a pocket slip to protect it a bit and prevent it from slipping out of my pocket, before I bought mine I read all sorts of things and they all seem to contradict what the other sources say as far as caring, some say never put oil some say do, I do put mineral oil my thoughts being it prevents moisture from water/humidity from getting in and helps prevent drying out in the winter, it's worked for me.
Here are some pictures from today it's wet and rainy so they are dark





And slightly older pictures in a little better light





Interesting read with additional links
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/678174-Take-care-of-Mammoth-Ivory-on-a-knife


Pete
 
EyeDog said:
Chuckgp...I am drooling over the toothpick. Can't tell for sure but it looks like a small. It's gorgeous.

Mike
Click to expand...

First mammoth I bought, yes its a tiny toothpick, damascus, 1 of 100. That sucker was impossible to open! had to leave it with the spring opened fully for a week or more and work it a lot, now it opens without nail destruction.

I always go for the 'dramatic' mammoth, like your baby doc. The plainer it is, the less I drool (ha!)
 
Hey Pete...nice Presidential---mine does not have the character that yours does. And thanks for that great link. I do polish my Mammoth and have even sanded a few and repolished them.

I don't oil mine but use polishing compound on them once or twice a year.
 
chuckgp said:
First mammoth I bought, yes its a tiny toothpick, damascus, 1 of 100. That sucker was impossible to open! had to leave it with the spring opened fully for a week or more and work it a lot, now it opens without nail destruction.

I always go for the 'dramatic' mammoth, like your baby doc. The plainer it is, the less I drool (ha!)
Click to expand...

Speaking of that baby doc...I've worked on the scale. It's second from the bottom in the first photo and in the second photo what it looks like after I put it through a belt sanding polishing treatment.





Mike
 
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