Ivory ? Mammoth or Elephant ?

R

rprocter

BANNED
Joined
Jan 19, 2007
Messages
6,872
Here is a 4" folder made by Robert Sims. It is not a high end knife ($100 for knife & sheath on secondary market) but i present it to ask some questions.

oct2010001-19.jpg


oct2010002-16.jpg


oct2010003-19.jpg


oct2010021-2.jpg


oct2010022-2.jpg


nice sheath:

oct2010005-17.jpg


All i can find out about Robert Sims is that he made his first knife in 1975, that he is a member of the Knifemakers Guild and that he sells at knife shows.
I bought this knife from the original owner who purchased it from Mr. Sims at a knife show in 2002.
I cannot find another example of his work.
Does anyone here know of Robert Sims or have one of his knives ?
My next question concerns blade grind which i hope you can see. The mirror finish makes it hard to "photograph". The plunge line curves in whereas all my other knives have a straight plunge line. Is this because of type of tool used to grind the blade ?
Is it of any significance ? The primary grind is rather shallow and the blade is still thicker than on most customs when measured just above the edge grind.
The edge is hair poppin sharp. Comments about this grind will be appreciated.
And finally, the seller thought the handles to be bone, but it looks like ivory to me. What does it look like to you ?
Concerning Mammoth ivory, is this fossilized ? i.e. have the minerals in it been replaced so that it becomes a rock or stone ? or is it simply a very old (10,000 yrs app.) tusk that has been preserved in it's original state ?
thanks for any help with my 4 (?) questions.
roland
 
The blade looks like it was ground on a 10 wheel, like a Bose, it is not flat ground.

The scales look like elephant ivory, the crackling at the end of the scales is the key.

I found this on another site, not sure if it is up to date.

Bob Sims
P.O. Box 772
Meridian, TX 76665
ph: 817-435-6240
notes: part-time maker - sold first knife 1975
 
Thanks Chuck. I have the same address and phone # so i could call to confirm that handles are elephant ivory.
Am i correct that experienced knifemakers try to grind a folder blade quite thinly ? That being able to get the stock evenly ground and thin towards the edge is a sign of considerable ability ?
I would really like to see other folders made by Mr. Sims for comparison.
roland
 
The handle is definitely ancient elephant ivory. Some of the older stuff has those thin blue cracks. Mammoth ivory and Walrus ivory has different characteristics.
 
Jonathan, thanks. What is "ancient elephant ivory" ?
Does this mean that buried in the ground or in a glacier there are elephant tusks as well as mammoth tusks ? Did elephants and mammoths coexist 10,000 or more years ago ?
I had thought that all the buried stuff was mammoth.
roland
 
It is almost certainly Elephant Ivory.
Determining the age of the ivory is very difficult to do.

This piece is taken from the bark. The tusks tend to have patches of this fine crack spider web pattern that you see on the rear part of the handles.
 
I can say that the "curved in" plunge can be done if desired, we've done it on a number of our fixed blades using a chainsaw file after making the initial plunge and bevel, just cause I can't get it even on my machine, sometimes it takes a bit more hand work to get it clean and even.

IMO, the thickness of the primary grind above the edge bevel can be thicker or thinner based on what the knife was to be used for. For a number of chores I prefer a bit more steel supporting the edge like whittling. Whereas I want a slicer to be thinner at the edge...
 
Last edited:
It is elephant bark ivory.

IMO, the edge was left too thick before it was sharpened.

Bob Sims has made a bunch of slip joints and is usually at the Guild and Blade shows.
 
I do not think that this knife was over sharpened, if anything the cutting edge was just left too thick.

Stephen,
If the blade edge was in line with the choil area the cutting edge might hit the backspring when closed. This is because the spot where the plunge line starts is also the blade stop or kick. There is no "V" notch like many makers are adding today which separates the kick from the cutting edge.
 
The blade is as it was when purchased from the maker. The edge is original and the grind is thick.
The previous owner states the knife was never used, just stored in his safe.
roland
 
It is elephant ivory. I sold it to Bob. It was scraps from a maker of gun grips who had imported it legally before the ban. I have a Bob Sims knife with the silver ends engraved by Buddy Knight of Marfa and a cowboy roping scene scrimshawed on by Mike Capron of Salt Flats.
 
Roland... how definitive can you be!
I enjoyed reading all the critiques. Good knowledge!
 
Don Hanson III said:
It is elephant bark ivory.

IMO, the edge was left too thick before it was sharpened.

Bob Sims has made a bunch of slip joints and is usually at the Guild and Blade shows.
Click to expand...

Mr. Hanson, how the hell do you know this is elephant ivory? :confused:

I have the authority to ask you this...I am a moderator.
 
There are some other custom makers who use the curved plunge line. I believe that Buck also makes some knives with the curved plunge line. Purpose of which is said to eliminate the stress riser of a straight plunge line.
 
Don Hanson III said:
Well Mr. Darby, come over to my shop and I'll show ya! :p:D
Click to expand...

Mr. Hanson, I'm not coming there unless it is to COOK!

You might not have read my entire post but I am a moderator; you should be the one (required) to come to my house and explain.

Be sure to bring examples too.

I would be glad to feed you though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top