Mosaic Damascus Cherry blossom Ivory Bowie

Fabulous piece. It's got everything. You could sell the blade, handle, and guard as sole art pieced. Thanks for taking the time.
 
osprey888 said:
Paul,
How did you make up the paraffin/mineral oil mixture? Thanks! Larry
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Hey Larry, I was looking for ivory polishing techniques and finishes and came across this sculptor named Natasha Popova. She uses a mixture of a solvent and parrafin wax to coat her ivory pieces to waterproof them
 
PaulDiStefano said:
Hey Larry, I was looking for ivory polishing techniques and finishes and came across this sculptor named Natasha Popova. She uses a mixture of a solvent and parrafin wax to coat her ivory pieces to waterproof them
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Thanks Paul. I am always looking for better ways to moisturize ivory. I typically just wrap ivory handles with a mineral oil cloth inside a plastic bag and leave them for a few days, and either do this once in awhile or just leave them stored that way. I'm still loving the knives I purchased from you 2-3 years back and am most pleased to see you in the "making" role once again. Saw a piece or two of yours on robertsonscustomcutlery.com as well. As I recall you were headed for New York Fire Dept(?) … not sure how accurate my memory is of that. Good to hear from you! Warm regards, Larry
 
Beautiful letter opener for very large envelopes on a massive CEO's desk.
Wonderful artistic handwork; I can see why it took you some time to finish it.
wunnerful, wunnerful....
 
osprey888 said:
Thanks Paul. I am always looking for better ways to moisturize ivory. I typically just wrap ivory handles with a mineral oil cloth inside a plastic bag and leave them for a few days, and either do this once in awhile or just leave them stored that way. I'm still loving the knives I purchased from you 2-3 years back and am most pleased to see you in the "making" role once again. Saw a piece or two of yours on robertsonscustomcutlery.com as well. As I recall you were headed for New York Fire Dept(?) … not sure how accurate my memory is of that. Good to hear from you! Warm regards, Larry
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My conversation with Natasha was a bit vague and a little hard to follow because of the language barrier between us. But a procedure I’ve come up with was to soak the ivory in mineral oil for a few days, the oil will absorb into the handle replacing the moisture from water with oil. Then once it’s soaked up a lot of healthy oil, use the wax mixture to coat the handle, let dry for about 3 hours then buff the surface. The wax will reharden a bit, locking in the mineral oil. For me it’s mostly for a surface treatment, to help keep any dirt or residue from seeping into the porous ivory when held and played with. But as always the constant mineral oil treatments are the way to go.

thanks for checking in and glad you still enjoy the knives! Yes, I am in the fire department now. Hopefully I can find time to make more knives. I have slowed down a bit recently which I’m hoping to turn around and be more productive in the future. Stay safe Larry
 
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