Ivory crack: Fill or Not Fill?

TAH

TAH

Joined
Jul 3, 2001
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I am looking for advice on what to do with a recent full-length hairline crack in the natural walrus ivory handle (not fossil) of my Rod Chappel knife. Is it best to do nothing or have the crack professionally filled by an accomplished knifemaker here in Indiana? Obviously, the reason to fill the crack would be to stabilize the crack from growing. The argument, I have heard, for not filling the crack is that one natural crack acts as a “breathing crack” and allows the ivory to expand and contract at will. If the crack is filled, the handle becomes solid again and might crack somewhere else down the road. I guess I’m looking for a consensus on what to do.

Thanks!
 
Ivory cracks.... that is its nature

Leave it alone
 
Thanks. What are the chances of the crack significantly opening? If it stays hairline, I can live with that.


IMG_5533_zps7ad0968c.jpg
 
Hairlines like that are basically considered natural features of walrus ivory. You didn't say if it wasn't there before you got the knife, but such features are normal in a tusk. It is part of how the tusk grows when on the animal, and how it ages after the walrus dies.

It probably won't grow any larger. You can seal/fill it with thin CA glue and hand sand it smooth with 3M polishing papers up to 8000 grit if you wish with no bad effects. It won't make it crack elsewhere.
 
Thanks for your thoughts and advice. The knife was made in 1984. I've owned it since 1993. The crack occured 2 days ago due to the record sub-zero temperatures and severe dryness that Indiana has experienced this winter. I've owned ivory knives for nearly 30 years (doing all the tricks: mineral oil baths, cup of water in the safe. etc.) and this is the first one to crack.

After speaking with Jim & Joyce Minnick (long-time custom knifemaking team) they recommended not filling the crack which will allow it to move on its own.

Here's a photo I took on 1/23/14.

IMG_5340_zps3b663199.jpg
 
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As an Eskimo ivory carver I squirt superglue into the crack. If it is wide enough I rub in fine ivory powder into the crack quickly. Then I squirt superglue over the crack again. I follow by sanding it smooth.
Whether the ivory cracks again, same spot or another, I don't know. My carvings are sold and I never see them again.
 
I don't like to use ivory because I have had it crack even if it is stabilized. Prevention is worth a pound of cure. Jerry Fisk has recommended soaking the ivory handle in mineral oil twice a year. When the time changes, it's time to soak the handle in mineral oil for a few days.
I used super glue on a ivory crack and the glue stained the ivory. Evidently others have had better success with super glue than I have.
 
Right now, the crack is closed. There is no opening for the super glue to enter. I suspect that the crack is only going to close more in the humid Indiana summer. I'm going to take the Minnick's advice and do nothing.
 
Thanks Rusty. I would love to see some of your ivory carvings. Feel free to email me a link to a website if available.
 
This crack was in the handle of one of Jason Knight's JS test knives when I got it
from the original owner.
It hasn't gone anywhere (gotten larger) in 6 yrs.
Don't plan on having it filled.

Edit:added image of this Knight Carolina Bowie, only one i have of it, above a Doug Timbs blade
in a Coop shot of them both.
Guess I'm gonna' have to live with the crack and call it character.
I can live with that.
Sorry for rambling on. :)

Doug
 

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Rusty-Gunn said:
Baby oil is also used on ivory up here (jewelry usually though). On mammoth as well.
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Baby oil is just mineral oil with scent additives.

I soak buffalo horn and stag in usp mineral oil,mostly because I have a ton on hand (sharpening stones, chopping block, etc). Probably better off with the non-food grade oil as it's a little less viscous, but it seems to work fine.
 
you don't store your ivory knife on a cotton cushion do you. if so cotton will draw out the moisture. I see in the pics it looks to be laying on the same shirt, is why I ask.
 
crank78 said:
you don't store your ivory knife on a cotton cushion do you. if so cotton will draw out the moisture. I see in the pics it looks to be laying on the same shirt, is why I ask.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the information. That's good to know about cotton. No, they are not stored on a cotton cushion. Actually, the sweaters are different and they were just used for the photos.
 
TAH said:
Thanks Rusty. I would love to see some of your ivory carvings. Feel free to email me a link to a website if available.
Click to expand...
I don't have a website. Although I have sold items over the internet my stuff ususlly get sold locally as quivk as I can make them.
 
Rusty,

Tell us a little about walrus ivory. Typically, how long does it need to cure before it can be carved? Do you feel it is more or less fragile (to cracking) than elephant ivory? Rod Chappel used to claim it was less prone to cracking because it was naturally "tempered" from the walrus repeatedly lying in the hot sun and then plunging into the frigid sea. Any truth to that or was that Rod's sales pitch?

Thanks!
 
Well.... I am told the tusks are put away for at least one year after hunting the walrus. Stored under what conditions I don't know. It most likely is under humidified condition to keep the ivory from drying out to fast. It usually "stabalizes" about a year's worth of storing.
Often times walrus ivory is coated with baby oil and wrapped with saran wrap to keep if from drying out. Smells good when carving. Lol.
I've never hunted ivory, stored ivory, or whatever. I buy it and carve it.
I have seen my ivory crack a bit though. Even afterI carved on it. But for the most part its fine.
No experience with elephant ivory, thus no knowledge.
As to tempering ivory... Cool story. I doubt it tempers in this manner. I can't prove it either way. But if it helps to sell more ivory I might have to adopt this notion. Lol.

Edit: I forgot to mention this... There is a difference in densities between male and female walrus tusks. Bull ivory is more dense, and chips more easily. Cracks easier too. Female walrus tusks are highly valued by ivory carvers due to being softer, pleasent to carve, cracks less, and chips less. It costs more as a result.
 
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crank78 said:
you don't store your ivory knife on a cotton cushion do you. if so cotton will draw out the moisture. I see in the pics it looks to be laying on the same shirt, is why I ask.
Click to expand...

Actually it is the opposite about storing ivory.

Museums and curators handle ivory with cotton gloves, and store ivory wrapped in acid free paper or in cotton cloth. Diapers are preferred. Placing the cotton wrapped item in a closed plastic tub or a zip-lock bag will keep humidity constant. A fleece or cotton lined zippered knife case, stored in a plastic storage bin with a tight lid, is a good storage method. (Best to use a new pouch. Don't use a pouch that was used to store a knife with an oiled handle previously.)

Cotton will not suck the moisture from things like wood and ivory. It is absorbent for liquids due to the fiber shape, but that is a very different thing from humidity. One of its advantages is that it allows air flow around the object because of the fiber shape.

The biggest thing you don't want to do with ivory is subject it to any soluble color, especially oils. Your dirty hands, blood and body fluids as well as fats from animals being dressed, and other oils the knife is exposed to will stain the ivory easily. I read that people rub baby oil on their ivory every year, etc. I have seen ivory handles with terrible blotches where the baby oil soaked in to a softer dentin part and didn't soak in in the harder enamel areas. Do this at your own risk. I personally just wipe the ivory off with a soft clean cloth barely dampened with clean water, dry it off, and put it away. Also, avoid using any solvents or drying agents on ivory.....acetone, alcohol, naphtha, etc.
All ivory dries with age. That is part of how any organic material acts. Ivory is very dense, and dries extremely slow. The drying can take dozens of years before it gets completely stable.

What will almost guarantee ivory cracking sooner or later is grinding it fast, using dull belts, and getting it hot in buffing. Quality ivory should be shaped with files, hand sanded, and hand buffed.
 
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