Mammoth Ivory Cracked

Kevin Cross

Kevin Cross

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Sep 13, 2006
Messages
865
I need some help here. I was working on finishing two knives last night, both with mammoth ivory handles that I got from charles turnage (great guy and great materials btw). I was doing a little cleaning and shaping with a new 1 x 42 belt and thing seemed to be going fine. I was trying hard not to overheat them (I've done about 10 other ivory handles so I thought I had learned that lesson). As soon as one handle would start to feel warm, I would set it down it rest and cool and work on the other one. After working for a while, got tired so put the quit and went to bed. Both handles looked good at this point. This morning I went down to get the dogs up and I find that the crackle ivory handle has two cracks (one in each scale) Kinda looked like they were delaminating. WTF? I'm guessing I must have got it too hot? I am trying to repair with cyanoacrylic but am not sure it will work. I would like to save the scales if possible but don't really care if I have to trash them as long as I learn something from this experience. How about it guys....any words of wisdom? Kev
 
I have only done a couple so definitely no expert, but I saved one with the superglue so I have to believe you are on the right track. BTW you could not tell once I was done, and it was a present for a family member so I have seen it several times since...
Matt
 
Doc,
Mammoth ivory can be stabalized and is worht having done before using.
You might give the folks at WSSI (Wood Stabalizing Specialists International) in Ionia, IA.
http://www.stabilizedwood.com/info.shtml
a call and ask about a current solution to your specific concern.
I sent them 15-20 lbs. of mammoth ivory that they stabaized, a few years ago.

ALSO, you might definitely consider going with a variable speed belt grinder and running slower....definitely worth the investment if you are gonna on-going-ly make knives.
 
Matt, I will keep working with the super glue, thank you

John, Thanks for the link to WSSI, I expect to do this for a long time so it will come in handy. ps I grew up and went to school in Indy so I hope things are good there.

Kev
 
When working with materials such as this, (or any for that matter), I wouldn't come anywhere near sanding belts!
Use files, friend, and coarse sand paper and sanding blocks.
Heat is your biggest enemy when it comes to handle material moving and cracking.
 
With any ivory, slow and cool is best. With mammoth bark ivory, super glue is a must. Fill the cracks and sand it down, it'll be fine.
 
I was thinking of starting a thread about mammoth ivory. I have been cutting up a couple of tusks lately. One was normal ugly old mammoth. The others was beautiful and near perfect. The old one cut normally and smelled like mammoth ivory. The better one cut real easily and stank to high heaven. I realized that the better tusk was green. It might be 10-12,000 years old, but it has been frozen since the mammoth died,until this summer when it was found in the melting permafrost. It was basically fresh ivory.

Mammoth is often not stable at all. It needs to dry for years before it is moderately stable. Having it stabilized with CA will help a lot.

When you sand/grind on mammoth you warm it up, and expose areas that have not seen air in millenia.It will move a lot. What you experienced (Cracking) happens a lot with unstabilized mammoth. Seal the cracks with super glue, sand lightly, fill-sand-etc. The final effect is often pretty neat. I take the delaminated core sections and fill/stabilize them slowly over months (with many ounces of cyanoacrylic resin) and make a beautiful handle material from it. It seems unusable before the filling is done.
Stacy
 
For the problem you nare having the super glue should work well.
Fresh ivory can be dried in a microwave. Sized down pieces work well when they are three or four times heated to an uncomfortable to the hand but not burning temperature and allowed to cool each time Probably only three or four minutes of time will be needed. I have done lots of fresh out of the ground this way with 100% success of no cracking . I then resize the pieces to close use size place them in a sealer in Min Wax Wood Harden with a loose lid, bring this up to boiling , tighten the lid, and leave for two or three days. Take a lot of care how you do that. I place the bottle near a strong electric heater. When you remove the pieces from the jar they will dry in an hour or so and are ready for machine sanding for level , fitting and shaping. I hope this helps someone . It works well. I bought quite a few pounds from a minner who lived near by but spent the summer in the north working several claims where the ivory was sometimes found. I have continued to do the same for all the pieces I have used since that I have bought elsewhere. Frank
 
Super glue is your friend with mammoth ivory. I fill all cracks before and after cutting it. Also after grinding it to shape before the final finish sanding. It is ok to use your grinder with fresh belts to keep the heat down.

When choosing a set of scales be sure to look at both ends. If it has cracks all the way through dont buy them. Also avoid scales that have the growth rings showing at the ends. The tusks grow in cones and will delaminate there. Some people dont cut them correctly trying to make more scales from the tusk. Be picky. That said I know Charles Turnage and He does know how to cut scales. Give him a call and see what he says. He may even replace them?
 
Ok guys I think I get it. Slow down, stabilize everything, invest heavily in CA. Now back to the basement. Thank you all for your help and insights. Kevin
 
I have been using Paliobond for years to fill cracks . If you order from the company they have a kit that comes variety of thicknesses. this material is used by Archioligists when they are uncovering artifacts.You can fill just about any size crack and the kit also has an excellerator and debonder in it.
 
I use paleobond on mammoth extensively. It comes in grades that are thinner than water to thick as molasses. It is great to fill the voids that are naturally in mammoth (as well as the ones that happen while you are working on it).Most knife suppliers carry it.The kit is well worth it if you work ivories and bone.
Stacy
 
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