Repurposing Old Ivory (picture added)

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Aug 21, 2009
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I was curious if any makers here had experience repurposing ivory handles from old knives, such as cake knives, butter knives, and that sort of thing.

I recently picked up an old Sheffield cake knife and I would like to reuse the handle for a personal project. (Im going to try and make a little letter opener)

As a side question, how would you go about removing the handle? The knife has a hidden stick tang that appears to be round.

20140624_174336_zpsb3f10a5e.jpg


Thanks for reading!

*Disclaimer- I do understand that Ivory is a controlled material, and establishing provenance is my legal responsibility.
 
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Stick the tip in a vise, and heat the blade/spatula with a small flame unto you can twist/pull the handle off. Take your time and the heat will conduct up the tang and melt the cutlers cement glue in the handle. I do this regularly with old ivory and MOP handled table knives. Keep a wet rag close by to cool the handle if it gets too warm to grip bare handed.
 
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