Thread: Crafting Ivory Scales

I've been thinking about getting ahold of some mammoth ivory. There's a lot of the "bark" for sale on eBay.

I like quite a few of my razors, but the majority of them have generic, black plastic handles. I was thinking that if I could make some ivory scales (or at least have sizeable ivory inserts amongst some nice wood), it'd really improve upon an existing blade.

Has anyone here made ivory scales before? Most of what I'm finding on eBay comes in little rectangles about two to three inches long, which is a bit small to make a full sized scale.

Is this stuff hard to work with? Is it necessary to put those metal guides along the inside of ivory scales?

I've never done it myself though I had a pair done a couple years back by a former member here. As I understand it Ivory carving is very different than using most any material. It is very fragile and brittle and you need to be wearing a mask while grinding. Its a true skill but not for beginners. Mine doesn't have any supporting material on them. If the scales are going to be very thin you might want to consider them to keep them from cracking down the road but if they are nice and thick you should be OK. I would definitely use thre pins on the scale though for the extra support of the scale material.

I would definitely avoid a third pin on ivory. I think it would weaken it more than stabilize it. If the ivory is too thin or fragile to make solid scales, I'd go with backed scales or inlays with it. Doing that, three-pinning wouldn't be a problem. That's just my take on it, though, for what it's worth. Ivory is tricky to work and mammoth ivory is even trickier. It's prone to have soft spots, powdery areas and other problems. Laying in ground that has frozen and thawed possibly many times for 10,000 years gives it some wonderful colors and textures but it also makes it unpredictable to work. However, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? That's my 2 cents worth on it.

I have a rotational razor with elephant ivory. No sign of cracking and only two pins.

If you're going to work mammoth ivory, use sharp tools. New grits etc. It's too easy to get the grinding apparatus hot and the ivory will burn before you can stop it. It's not as bad as MOP but worthy of respect.

It will also "move" when the humidity changes. That is how cracking develops in pieces that had no cracks before. The tension from the ivory growing or shrinking can play havoc with pinned areas. Pre-cracked MI is fairly stable and some cracks can be filled with CA glues and remain very stable for years after ward. Any ivory can be stablized with resins just like wood. It will reduce the tendency to move to a great degree but some movement is always a risk.

It's flat out the best material for handles given all the warnings.

I'll definitely have to go with Robert on this one. 3rd pins are great on wood scales because on top of being more attractive (IMO), they add some stiffness and rigidity, which exactly what you don't want with ivory. The material is minimally flexible, and making it stiffer at a certain spot will virtually guarantee cracking. The flexibility it has in a long section is just about right.

Yeah, of all the ivory scaled razors I've seen that were made in the 19th century, the majority have only two pins, and the scales are quite thin and delicate looking. I agree that two pins is the way to go. I'd want to put as few holes in those things as possible to avoid screwing them up. No pun intended.