Questions about ivory...

[Altaraz]

I'm going to be getting a custom knife (hopefully sooner rather than later). I want it to be perfect; performance and beauty. This knife is going to be my lifelong friend. I've been trying to figure out which knife handle material I want. Ivory is beautiful, and it's supposed to be warm to the touch...

1. Would ivory be suitable for a climate with bitter cold winters and hot, humid summers?

2. Would it be too difficult for a maker to use ivory and have a full (but hidden) tang?

3. One maker I contacted said that ivory (in my case) would have problems with becoming brittle and cracking. Do you think this is accurate?

4. I may not be up to date on ivory laws in Canada... would I have any problems having a knife with ivory imported?

5. Are certain type(s) of ivory more durable or "better" (in my case) than others?

6. Is there another handle material with the beauty of ivory that would be more suitable to my weather conditions? I realize that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but suggestions would be good

Thank you for your help!

(P.S: I think a while ago I posted a thread asking about ivory elsewhere on the site [in a different section] but received no answers. I will try to find it and delete it - I realize posting multiple threads about relatively the same thing is probably not the best idea >_>)

 

[Altaraz]

My other thread about ivory is in the Knife Laws section (page 2). Unfortunately, I can't find a away to delete it :S Could a Moderator please delete it for me?

 

[A.P.F.]

I'm going to be getting a custom knife (hopefully sooner rather than later). I want it to be perfect; performance and beauty. This knife is going to be my lifelong friend. I've been trying to figure out which knife handle material I want. Ivory is beautiful, and it's supposed to be warm to the touch...

1. Would ivory be suitable for a climate with bitter cold winters and hot, humid summers? No

2. Would it be too difficult for a maker to use ivory and have a full (but hidden) tang? No

3. One maker I contacted said that ivory (in my case) would have problems with becoming brittle and cracking. Do you think this is accurate? Yes

4. I may not be up to date on ivory laws in Canada... would I have any problems having a knife with ivory imported? Probably

5. Are certain type(s) of ivory more durable or "better" (in my case) than others? In Canada, Mastadon ivory is legal, all others, not so much.

6. Is there another handle material with the beauty of ivory that would be more suitable to my weather conditions? I realize that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but suggestions would be good The toughest natural and legal material that I am aware of is Sambar Stag.

Thank you for your help!

(P.S: I think a while ago I posted a thread asking about ivory elsewhere on the site [in a different section] but received no answers. I will try to find it and delete it - I realize posting multiple threads about relatively the same thing is probably not the best idea >_>)

Hope that helps.

 

[djjonny]

Imo an ivory handle knife is more of a collector type knife than a "use" knife

 

[RevDevil]

My other thread about ivory is in the Knife Laws section (page 2). Unfortunately, I can't find a away to delete it :S Could a Moderator please delete it for me?

We don't delete threads, but maybe we can get it locked down for you.

 

[A. G. Russell]

I'm going to be getting a custom knife (hopefully sooner rather than later). I want it to be perfect; performance and beauty. This knife is going to be my lifelong friend. I've been trying to figure out which knife handle material I want. Ivory is beautiful, and it's supposed to be warm to the touch...

1. Would ivory be suitable for a climate with bitter cold winters and hot, humid summers?

2. Would it be too difficult for a maker to use ivory and have a full (but hidden) tang?

3. One maker I contacted said that ivory (in my case) would have problems with becoming brittle and cracking. Do you think this is accurate?

4. I may not be up to date on ivory laws in Canada... would I have any problems having a knife with ivory imported?

5. Are certain type(s) of ivory more durable or "better" (in my case) than others?

6. Is there another handle material with the beauty of ivory that would be more suitable to my weather conditions? I realize that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but suggestions would be good

Thank you for your help!

(P.S: I think a while ago I posted a thread asking about ivory elsewhere on the site [in a different section] but received no answers. I will try to find it and delete it - I realize posting multiple threads about relatively the same thing is probably not the best idea >_>)

If your maker has the ivory stabilized then it will need less care. I would still wax the handle at least twice a year.

 

[Kai Winters]

Pre embargo ivory is still legal in the states. I do not know about other countries. Pre embargo date is 1972. Ivory is warm to the touch and will yellow with age. It may also crack but generally these are small cracks around screw holes etc. I would not use an ivory handled knife as a hard use EDC knife but to carry it for light use would be ok. I'd prefer to use it as a gentleman's EDC were it me.

Ivory is a wonderful material to work with. It can be easily engraved...scrimshaw...and carved using a simple Dremel or hand tool.

I was a Scrimshaw artist for over ten years in the New Bedford MA area during its' heydays in the 70's and loved working on ivory and whale teeth.