Thread: Is it wrong to try to get my hands on some of this?

As I understand, old pianos used ivory for their keys. If you find a crappy old grand, you could always recycle the keys for scale.

Originally Posted by ben.mid

Hi Nathan.
I think it's wrong. You're encouraging the slaughter of animals for nothing more than the tusks. I'm no vegetarian & i do enjoy shooting, but I've been on safari in Africa a few times & they are amazing, beautiful animals. Recycling old ivory i can cope with, not poached though. If you see the photo's of whole elephant herds killed & left to rot you may see where I'm coming from. That's my view mate.

Big +1
You're causing animal suffering and encouraging irresponsible hunting for what? A pretty shaving tool?

Don't do it. Elephants are far nicer alive.

In Europe it is forbidden to deal with.
If you have old stock* you may get papers and keep it but not sell.
They did that to decrease the demand.

*I have a narwhale tooth and a big complete tortoise I have often seen as scales in the past but there is no way you can offer this kind of material legally. Well and I would not want to cut it up, cause it is beautiful.

it is not wrong (in and of itself) to want some special scales for your razor. This is called temptation. Having temptation isn't wrong. Asking the question shows that the he knew it is wrong.

Resisting temptation happens when one is re-focused on what is important: saving endangered species, stopping organized crime, making sure the blade is well forged and good steel, and keeping Brett Favre from playing with the Vikings (OK that last bit was to see if anyone was still reading - I really don't care if he comes out of retirement).

Bottom line? I think we've helped him refocus on what is important. We probably shouldn't overdo it.

Judging by his last posts, I think he's made a clear decision. I had a bit of a moment like this a few years back.

Without going into much detail, I ran into an old friend who happened to have a VERY good (cheap and quality) source of illegal recreational substances. He named a figure for which he would part with a certain amount of this substance. This figure would have netted me a massive profit.

I have many friends who enjoy this substance, and would buy in good quantities on a regular basis. For me, it would have been just a quick drive in town to one place, a phone call, and a drive to another place close by. Easy, BIG money.

For just a minute, I seriously considered it.

Then I realized that it really wasn't worth it.



I think our OP made the same kind of rational decision after a moment of temptation. Good on him.

I would consider Mammoth Ivory. There is no problem with moral issues or criminal issues. They will find only a limited number so the value will continue to go up. The Mammoth Ivory scales have a coolness factor that is unequaled by any other material.

bj

It's nice to see so many with a sense of right and wrong. We have a sign hanging in our house it says "wrong is wrong even if everyone does it". There is another statement which me and my house try to live by. "Do nothing out of selfish abition or vain conceit but in humility always treat others better than yourselves". Sometimes it's hard to draw the line between right and wrong but it's one that needs to be drawn especially since so many seem to live without a moral compass whatsoever today. Fight the urge and find another way.

Originally Posted by 2Sharp

I would consider Mammoth Ivory. There is no problem with moral issues or criminal issues. They will find only a limited number so the value will continue to go up. The Mammoth Ivory scales have a coolness factor that is unequaled by any other material.

bj

I love mammoth ivory, but it's not as rare as the price indicates. They estimate that there are around 150 million mammoths in the permafrost of Siberia.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/25/wo....11415717.html

Ivory is a funny one. There are too many elephants at the moment, and they're doing a lot of damage. I know that some countries in Africa are permitting hunting again.

I think I'm with Leighton on this one, completely.

I would probably keep a razor if it came with Ivory scales.

Out of curiosity, is it legal to take the tusks off an elephant that has died of natural causes? Or do the tusks have to be left to rot with the rest of the carcass? Edit: after asking this stupid question I realize all ivory must be illegal because it would be impossible to determine which tusk came from where.