No More Mammoth Ivory!!!!!!!!

B

Brad Duncan

Joined
Dec 28, 2000
Messages
278
Hello,
I have made a buisness decision not to use any Mammoth or Elephant Ivory on any more of my knives.
Am I the only one who feels this way.I dont like getting knives back were I was very proud of the results to have the new owner see somthing that he thinks is there but really isn't.It is just a pain.
I am sure there are more than enough makers who will always use what is avalible but not this one.I am sticking to Pearls and man made materials.

Brad
 

Attachments

  • mammoth.jpg
    mammoth.jpg
    63.5 KB · Views: 590
Here is some sets of scales not for sale
Have a great day
Brad
 

Attachments

  • mammoth001.jpg
    mammoth001.jpg
    80.4 KB · Views: 583
Brad, Exactly what are talking about? I know the ivorys for the most part are unstabil but people like them. There is nothing like having a piece of 10,000 year old tusk in your pocket.
 
I agree with you Brad! I'm not messing with ivory anymore either, it's just not worth it and I think stag looks ten times better anyway.
 
Hey, Brad...

What are you asking for your pieces of tusk? I know what you mean, about people freaking out about some imagined flaw in a piece of stag or bone...

That's fine, though...I'll put 'em on something I keep!!!

:D

Lemme know, bro.
 
One of the reasons that I am reluctant to throw myself into knifemaking wholeheartedly and try to profit from it is that I think people are too anal in general. When you have something that is handmade, especially if it has some natural materials in it, you have to expect that it isn't going to look like a factory made thing. In fact, the high degree of precision that many people seem to be expecting from makers really irks me. Here is a situation where the handmade object is supposed to EXCEED the precision of the factory made piece. It just doesn't jive with my creative sensibilities. I'm not saying that the maker shouldn't strive for perfection, just that reasonable people should expect some flaws and live with them.

So what's the problem with the ivory? The guy sees cracks in a 10,000 year old piece of elephant tusk that has lain in the ground all this time? Come on, let's get real! :rolleyes:
 
Here is the deal.I sold a knife to a customer that he speacial ordered .He wanted Blue Ivory.I had some and used it .By the time it was finished the Blue was only found on one side of the scales.This did not please him so I made him another knife.The results of the second knife were great,I thought.I stablized it and the fit and finish was one of my best.The customer gets the knife and loves it.Temporally.He says the Mammoth has cracks in it.I thought to myself why did I not see such a problem.He said he wanted the scale replaced.I told him to send the knife back for inspection.The cracks he spoke of were less than .003" wide and were only on the surface.I could not believe it.He said He thought they were getting bigger.Any way the knife has been with me for about 3 months and the surface cracks have not moved at all.I sealed the scales so that moisture wouldn't affect them.They look great I think. Well he wont take no for a answer and that is fine.I am going to make a whole new knife and call it Done.What I think is great the next might think its not.I dont have time to waste on knives that come back again and again.I only like to do things one way.The right way. Life is to short to have to worry about Ivory.It looks good,but there is always going to be someone who looks at things differntley.I am doing my last Elephant Ivory knife As well.After this one you wont be seeing Ivory from me.I guess the people who own one can say there knives just went up in value.there are plenty of nice handle materials that dont have a mind of ther own.
:rolleyes:

here is the side of the knife in question
 

Attachments

  • mammothnnnnn.jpg
    mammothnnnnn.jpg
    22.5 KB · Views: 483
Brad, Does that one have your double action with the ball bearing pivot? If so I will take it even with the enormous gaps in the grip. Just kidding about the gap. I cant see anything abnormal. Beutiful knife. Ive been meaning to ask you where you get your bearing pivots.
 
This one is very smooth,but does not have the bearing in it.I got some bearings tru Sheiffeild knifemakers Supply.
I will update you when I get teh o.k. from the customer to sell it.
 
Great knife , Brad!
Regarding the mastodon ivory, it reminds me of a Randall #2 I sold to a customer some six years ago, and he sent it back telling me the blade was condemned, that it had a permanent strctural damage that would destroy it in a while, etc. When I got the knife back all I could see of what he called "permanent structural damage" was a tiny forge flaw, abou 1/64" long, about the middle of the blade, close to one edge, and I suppose who ground the blade left it there only not to remove too much material from that area.
I took the knife back and sold it to the next customer who saw it. Of course, I told him about the "permanent structural damage" thing and we still laught about it when we talk about this knife.
I am glad, though, that your decision will help the poor mastodons and mammooths out there not to be extinct...
 
One of the things I like about Mastadon Ivory, or natural handle materials in general, is the "flaws" that mother nature puts in them.

Imagine what that piece of ivory went through in its time of existance. I believe it earned every crack.

Dumba$$ queation, Is Mastadon Ivory the same as Mammoth Ivory? or are they two different animals altogether? I should know this....
 
Theres nothing wrong with that knife.
Seems your customer dosn't know anything about ivories. Sounds like he was "exercising" his customer "rights".:rolleyes: Tell ya what though Brad, charge this dude PREMIUM price for "perfect,uncracked" mastadon scales that he wants so bad.
 
I forget who it was now, but one of the old salts who's been selling knives for a long time was talking about this sort of thing the other day. He was speaking more to what you ask for a knife, but his point was that you don't ask anything for the knife or mention price at all until you have made sure that the prospective customer understands what is so special about your blades. Then when he hears the price he has a way to decide if it's worth the asking price.
In other words, avoid selling something to someone who doesn't appreciate it, because they'll never be happy with it and it doesn't matter how nice it is.
Not that any of this helps you, I'm just rambling.
 
Originally posted by DJ _Wolf
Dumba$$ queation, Is Mastadon Ivory the same as Mammoth Ivory? or are they two different animals altogether? I should know this....
Click to expand...

This was covered in a thread some time ago. I ran a search, but was unable to find it. Anyhow, not a dumba$$ question.

The Mammoth and the Mastodon were two distinctly different species.
 
It looks like a perfect peice of bark to me. Some people just don't get it.
 
I think dogman's reply hits the nail on the head.

Most of the fossil ivory available for knife handles is wooly mammoth from Alaska and Siberia. Mastodon is very rare.
 
Brad this man does'nt not understand what he ordered i would stop trying to please him and going throught more matireals and just refund his money, from my exspearence you will never make him truly happy, so you are not losing future purchases. just give him his money back with a smile and move on to someone that knows a little more about fossilized ivory.to sell that piece to.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top