Thread: Carving Ivory Scales

There was some interest in the scales I just did for a French razor.
Now this isn't , and can't be a be all end all how to post. Each carving is different but I'll show the tools I used to create the scales I did. There is no single "recipe" for this type of work. And like anything there are many ways to skin a cat.

As to carving Ivory, it's been done for hundreds of years. Nothing new here. You can use knives, small ( micro ) chisels, scrapers etc. which have produced great carvings. Being the age we live in there are fast and cheap ways of achieving the same effect. And what I'm showing is a very simple carving as far as carvings go.

The basic tools needed to produce this set of scales start with some basics. Cutting out scales can be as basic as using a coping type saw to having a band saw.
Many have a Dremel type tool which is the main work horse for doing many jobs where razors are concerned. The bits , or burrs, are commonly found as a set of diamond cutters. Sort of like little grinding stones but have a surface covered with diamond dust. They cut quick in this material and are relatively cheap. HF sells them for around $8.00 for a set of 20.
I started using these for my work about 25 yrs. ago and then they were $10.00 ea. How times change.
Other than that , sandpaper is needed for smoothing the surface etc. For getting into tight spaces and refining lines I cut up one of those white erasers. Ive got a set of 3 at the local dollar store for,,, yeah,, a buck! Cut them up into any shape you need, wrap with sand paper and off you go. Sand paper as you may know works better if backed up with something other than your fingers.
For the Scrimshaw. You'll need at the least a pin or a needle. Stick it in the end of a dowel and you now have a scribe to scratch a design into any material that you can scratch with a pin. To color your scratches you can use ink, a Sharpie, paints, dyes etc. I went high tech and took an old shot 1/16th drill bit, sharpened the end that goes in a drill and held it with a mechanical pencil. If you want to go old school, like the sailors did hundreds of years ago, you can use an awl, knife or anything you can find to scratch a design into ivory. They used ink, or a soot based stain to darken the lines they scratched into the ivory as they were sailing around chasing Whales.
Like I said, this is nothing new. They figured it out. We can too.

So far to do this work , assuming you at least have a Dremel and some way of cutting out scales, you need the Diamond bits and a needle, pin, awl, or like I did sharpen a bit and stick it in the end of a dowel. Low tech.
I also used some Needle files, also for a set around $8.00 and an X-Acto blade. Of course any fine tipped knife will do as well.

The first order of business is to come up with a design. Once I had my design I laid it out on some tracing paper ( don't need to , I just had some) This makes it easier to transfer the design and at the same time make front and back designs all at one time. There are ways around this but that means you'll have to have tracing paper.
Once the design is on the scale material just cut it out. Bandsaw, coping saw, chainsaw, whatever you have. Get close but the refining will come with files , knives and sandpaper. Here , after cutting with my bandsaw I used an oval file, sandpaper, and Xacto to refine the design.