Thread: Hopped on the ivory train!

So i liked my C.V. Heljestrand 41 so much, i decided to pick up some more Swedish steel last week. I picked up a double set of barely touched MK 31s in what i thought was just cream colored scales, the auction didn't mention the scales at all but the blade looked good.

I open them up and the first thing i notice is that the handles have a grain, and not a parallel grain, like a tangled medusa head. so i did some more research and tried the hot pin test (several times) and it turns out it's real. little brown spot and the smell of burning fingernails seems to be the ticket.

Judging by the 45 degree crosshatch angle of the grain (only 100% accurate on whole tusks) i think it is 10,000 year old mammoth ivory.

I was a little worried that i might have paid too much, but these are currently my favorite shavers and now my most valuable by far.

I'll try to get some pics up tomorrow.

Lucky dog!


R

I don't think they were using mammoth ivory when those razors were being made. I think the first real use of that type of ivory was in the later part of the 20th century. Elephant was plentiful in the old days so that's what they used. I know about the angle differences between the two but I'd be suprised unless they were rescaled of course.

I couldn't believe it! I went to hold some of my scales to a blacklight (I think the ivory is supposed to glow) And dropped my Henckels 401 platinum on the tile floor and cracked the scales right off!
THe first 2 pics are the new 31's, the third pic is my 41 with the fake ivory, and the last are my poor henckels. I guess i get to learn how to make scales, always a silver lining.

A bit yellow for ivory. Are you sure it is not some kind of bone or diferent animal's tusk?

I have 4 Heljes with ivory handles: it was used quite commonly for razor scales. Luckily many ebay vendors don't recognize the ivory so you often get them rather cheap.

I love the thumb notches on those! As Kees said, they do look a lot more yellow than the ivory i have. That doesn't rule it out, but they may also be bone. Ivory should be more dense than bone, & will not have the tiny canals that bone does to carry nutrients.

If you have some good magnifying glass or a microscope you may be able to pick out the tiny gaps that held the capillaries. I've never tried it but it would make sense that they'd be visible under high magnification.

I think they're ivory too, nice razors.

Man, nice score!! I love the thumb notches as well. Bummer on the busted scales...

Man those are sweet.... and if you do take up the Scale-making endeavor;
I have a few sites for you to check out. Those Swedes are awesome, Jimps and all!

Show up for friday night cards.... and bring those blades!