Thread: Carving Ivory Scales

Ouch!
Hey, it's a great shaver. And besides it tells a complete story. Monmartre , Sacre Coeure , Paris etc. it's complete.
Besides. If I did it once I can do it again . Probably better. I'll find more blades.
Then too.
I just bought a KMG 2 x 72 grinder. 35 belts and wheels from 1 1/2 to 8 inch and an Evenheat kiln to make my own blades.
Add that to scales, Gold, etching and I think I'll be having some fun!

Some amazing work thanks for sharing.

Very nice work, what magnification do you work under? What is you final grit of sand paper?

How deep do you go at the deepest and what is the minimum thickness under deepest carving, that you shoot for?

For your Xacto scraper, do you put a hook on the edge, like a cabinet scraper or use a straight edge?

Thanks for the detail.

Marty

Oh I'm not sure of the number of magnification. Use whatever you need to see the detail you want to achieve. How small do you want to go ? Along with magnifiers I also wear bifocals so a true number is difficult to say. If you can't see it get more magnification.
Sandpaper is 600. But that too wil depend on how aggressive your polish is. I like a
Smooth surface and ivory polishes up easily.
There is no real number for depth of carving . It depends on the design. Look at it this way. How deep is the carving on a coin? Almost nothing ! But you can still see a terrific design. What are the levels there? Depth then means nothing. It's all in the design and depends what you are carving and want to show.
As I said. There is no " recipe" for carving .

As to the Xacto. At this level there is no need for a burr as on a cabinet scraper. The only thing needed is a smooth edge and if it's sharp it will easily shave material. Same as if you used a sharp chisel on wood.

Thanks for showing the process.
Makes me want to get a Bic lighter and give it a go.

that you for your in depth detail of carving ivory.
you are a talented works-man making beautiful blades and scales.

Wonderful work and great write up! This write up took me from " wow I wish I could do something like this" to " hey I think I can do something like this"

Originally Posted by mycarver

Ouch!
Hey, it's a great shaver. And besides it tells a complete story. Monmartre , Sacre Coeure , Paris etc. it's complete.
Besides. If I did it once I can do it again . Probably better. I'll find more blades.
Then too.
I just bought a KMG 2 x 72 grinder. 35 belts and wheels from 1 1/2 to 8 inch and an Evenheat kiln to make my own blades.
Add that to scales, Gold, etching and I think I'll be having some fun!

We will all fun,with your skills I think we will see some fantastic Blades.

Originally Posted by HardCase

Wonderful work and great write up! This write up took me from " wow I wish I could do something like this" to " hey I think I can do something like this"

As Martha Stewart says,,, " that's a good thing". Gotta start somewhere. Some guys a few hundred years ago started scratching designs on stuff along with digging , poking and carving Ivory with pretty simple tools. If they did it without the benefit of a Home Depot etc. as well as an internet full of videos and designs I think we have a pretty good chance of pulling something off.
As it's been said there isn't much that is new. We merely stand on the shoulders of those that went before us.
And look what a guy like Michelangelo did with marble without the benefit of jackhammers, power grinders etc.
be a little resourceful , give it some time but most importantly give it a try.

You sir are a master craftsman. Incredible work, thanks for sharing