Walrus ivory

chuckM · Feb 7, 2001

need some advise- met a guy from alaska the other day and he brought me a walrus tusk asking if we could trade - me make him a knife for the tusk. question, first, the tusk is about 10" x ~1.75" and has some deep checking, the quality is OK but not exceptional, i have used some walrus from texas knife supply and it seemed to be stabilized as well as being of very interesting patterning- almost pearlesent, so anyway, can the ivory be used as is without stabilization and second would it be worth the trade of a well made, original knife of 154CM- custom made for him? thanks in advance--CJM

L6steel · Feb 7, 2001

Chuck, if you decide not to make the knife for him in trade for the tusk, give him my email addy!

L6steel@aol.com

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Take care!! Michael

Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!
http://www.nebsnow.com/L6steel
Buzzards gotta eat, same as worms!!!

Harry Jensen · Feb 8, 2001

Uhhhhhhh guys, I don't wanna throw a wet blanket on this deal, but isn't that stuff covered under the CITIES statutes & USF&WS?

Some of this stuff is illegal to own without the proper documentation, and if you put it on blades for sale at a show without the proper docs, you risk having your knives tossed in a sack by the Fed game wardens.

It would be worth it to do a bit of homework before jumping on this one....just my dos centavos......

Centaur · Feb 8, 2001

I agree with Harry on this one.

I'm no expert, but can can tell the difference between fresh and fossil walrus ivory? If it's fresh, and it was legally taken by a Native Alaskan, shouldn't it have some sort of scrim on it?

If it's fossil, it may be a good deal. But if it's fresh, I wouldn't do it. My 2 cents, if you want it.

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Glen AKA Centaur
"I'll be your Huckleberry."
- Doc Holiday

fartcutter · Feb 8, 2001

I did some research on this stuff a while back. This is what my notes say...I could be a little off.

Under CITES there is the Marine Mamal Protection Act of 1972 that prevents the importation of marine mamal parts except for research.

If the animal is an endangered species then the parts (bone, tooth, tusk...) need to be 100+ years old - and you need documentation.

If it's not endangered then it needs to be 50+ years old- and you need documentation.

But, what I'm not sure about is the fact that it's from alaska and your not "importing" it from another country.

Call the Natl. Marine Fisheries Service at 301-713-2289 for the poop.

FC

tom mayo · Feb 8, 2001

legal stuff aside (I wouldnt really worry about it personally!)....you need to weigh the piece......that is the most accurate value indicator........it usually goes anywhere from $50 to $100 per lb (more but thats a rip!!) the big crack puts it at the low end........

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http://www.mayoknives.com
John 1:14

[This message has been edited by tom mayo (edited 02-08-2001).]

akivory · Feb 8, 2001

It sound as though the trade you are looking at would not be worth it.The black lines you see are growth cracks. Chances are they go to the core.A ten inch tusk probably weighs less than two pounds.The best walrus is from female tusks.It usually has few cracks and little core.For ten years I bought sold and carved fossil walrus .For the last ten years
i have been more involved in mammoth.With the low price of gold it is getting kind of hard to find. Chuck www.akivory@gci.net

AchimW · Feb 8, 2001

Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) ivory as well as walrus bones (like oosic) are covered by CITES rules. If you want to buy, sell or trade it in a country or if you are crossing the frontiers doesn't matter. If it is fossile or not doesn't matter. I talked about the subject with US as well as with german feds because i didn't understand what's that strange rule about the fossile stuff. The argument of both was that using fossile animal parts is prohibited because they want to avoid creating a market for the same parts of the now living animals. The problem doesn't exist with mammoth and mastodon ivory, as these animals are extinct since thousands of years.

Be careful with whom you are dealing. Read

http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum25/HTML/001070.html

Achim