IVORY advise

B . Buxton

B . Buxton

Joined
Jul 8, 2001
Messages
3,623
I just finished up a piece this morn with walrus ivory for the handle. Will soaking it in mineral oil help keep it from moving, checking, etc. or will mineral oil cause problems, advice on what others use are appreciated.

Thank you

Bill
 
I have been told that it's a good practice to soak stag and ivory handles in mineral oil once or twice a year to avoid problems with cracking and shrinkage. Never had any problems yet. Let me know if you find out any different. I've been doing this with mine for about 2 years now.
 
Why not just get it stabilized prior to installing? That stuff is fairly expensive and it would pay to do that. Same for Mammoth, horn, stag, good woods that will accept it, etc.:confused:

That would eliminate the annual(?) soaking in oil.
 
I have spent the morning dousing a few of my ivory handles knives in oil. Several ivory scales I have purchased for future use are stabilized, which is okay. The thing about untreated ivory is the color differences that can be achieved by soaking in heavy mineral oil for a time. For full ivory handles, I don't mind an occasional soak as upkeep for my ivory blades, then a little oil or lubricant of choice for the blade. It really 'brightens' the natural colors of the piece, and keeps a natural beauty to the piece.

The only negative I have read is a possible 'softening' of ivory that is left in mineral oil too long. I am not sure what 'too long' would be, or how true this is?

It sure is a wonderful handle material.
 
Hi Bill,

I will normally apply a very genrous coat of mineral oil to the ivory after final finishing on the knife. I will let the mineral oil set and soak into the piece for about 24 hours. This seems to help seal the open pores after it is freshly worked. I would asvise your customer to do this a couple of times a year.

Craig
 
I soak all my ivory in mineral oil before using it sometimes for months and as canine said, it really brings out the colors :thumbup:
 
Thanks for the advice everyone, I'll soak it for a couple hours.

Mike H. I agree about getting it stabilized, but I didn't have anything to send with it, so it would have been a real pain and very expensive to have just this one piece stabilized. Maybe next time I'll have more material that needs it.

Thanks again,

Bill
 
Bill,
Don't know anything about walrus ivory other than the fact that it sure is PURRRTY! I tried a couple weeks ago to find some for a knife I'm building for myself but to no avail. Perhaps you could point me in the right direction? I do mean walrus ivory and not oosik.
Thank you,
Matt Doyle
 
Matt I traded a knife for this piece of Walrus Ivory and some other stuff the guy had, he doesn't have much of anything else, have you tried Boones, I think its Boones Ivory works, but I could be wrong.

Sorry,

Bill
 
Bill
10-4 on the mineral oil
at least 2 days, 2 times a year.. it will take only what it needs..
It's pretty dense so I don't stabilize mine..but that's just me..wood, I stabilize..
 
Will, I'm still working on it. The dagger is finished but I haven't figured out the sheath yet. As soon as I get it finished I will post a picture.Hopefully I will get it worked out this week.

Thank you,

Bill
 
B . Buxton said:
.................
Mike H. I agree about getting it stabilized, but I didn't have anything to send with it, so it would have been a real pain and very expensive to have just this one piece stabilized. Maybe next time I'll have more material that needs it.

Thanks again,

Bill
Click to expand...



I understand completely. That can be hard at times.

Something else that works is Watco natural. It actually polymerizes below the surface.
Mineral oil will not do that. It may become sticky over time but is not made as a sealer. It's a temp. fix at best.
Watco will bring up hidden luster in the piece also, in fact so will spit, but it doesn't last as long.;)

Another problem with soaking unused Ivory in mineral oil(before installation) is the fact that it could act as a release agent when it's put on as handle material if it has any of that oil left in the pores.
 
Mike brings up good points about mineral oil.
I'm glad to hear some folks have good luck soaking mammoth ivory in mineral oil.
I've had it severely change the color (catastrophically, in fact) more than once when soaking more than an hour or so, so I don't soak in MI any more.
I've done some experiments and have found that Resinol, when done properly in pressure/vaccum chamber, does achieve penetration into ivory. It can also change the color badly too, however.
 
Bill said his piece was finished. I think the trick to walrus ivory (or mammoth) is if it was cured properly before purchase. Walrus ivory is the most common choice for hidden tang handles. If the handle piece was properly cured and is buffed with a polishing compound, it will seal the piece somewhat. Then, as Dan said, when you use oil, it will only takes what it needs...which shouldn't be much.
 
J
interesting I've never had it change color using mineral oil it
just gets that older look I want in time..
the oil just replaces the oils lost from it with time..that's why the two day soaks twice a year, should be more if used a lot...I'm not sure why it would get gummy?? it's not linseed oil normally M/O don't dry that way.. now oils from your hands could be doing that..Mike the acid from saliva will dry it out more it's like licking your lips and causing them to chap..the oils are lost doing that.
.. Chuck Borrows does his with mineral oil and said it was a good thing, I've had zip for problems with doing it that way :confused: what more can I say .....:o
 
I've tried the mineral oil in the past but, stopped because of the release agent problem. Some of the ivory and warthog tusks I've been using are somewhat hollow and it's difficult to get all the oil out...and I sure wouldn't want to chance trapping any down there. So I started soaking the handles in Watco after completion (during the course of a few hours). So far, so good. I haven't kept one for myself but, I haven't had any complaints in a few years. Whether the customers who have purchased the knives are dipping them in oil, I don't know.
 
J. Neilson said:
I've tried the mineral oil in the past but, stopped because of the release agent problem. Some of the ivory and warthog tusks I've been using are somewhat hollow and it's difficult to get all the oil out...and I sure wouldn't want to chance trapping any down there. So I started soaking the handles in Watco after completion (during the course of a few hours). So far, so good. I haven't kept one for myself but, I haven't had any complaints in a few years. Whether the customers who have purchased the knives are dipping them in oil, I don't know.
Click to expand...
hi J it's been a while where you been ?
I agree not to soak it untill after it's finished.. I never saw a need to do that..
see you at the hammer-in hopefully Tess too...
 
Hey Dan, how're you doing bud. I've just been a busy, busy boy. Lots of knives to make. I try to peek my head in here every once-in-a-while.
I'll see you at Jim's though.
 
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