Thread: Need help with mammoth scales

A few years ago I purchased a razor with mammoth ivory bark stabilized scales. The scales came warped, more twisted than curved. Most of the twist is at the wedge end. The razor does not close without catching the edge.

My question is...how to straighten them. I have straightened wood, horn, bone and antler by boiling for about 1/2 hour then clamping on a bar of 1/8x1x6" piece of brass, then in the oven at 200 for 2 hours to dry. Since this is stabilized tusk, I don't think boiling will help soften them, so maybe I should skip this step. I don't know if heating in the oven then cooling will work. BUT most of all I don't want to ruin them. They are pretty!

If any one has ideas or experience...I'm all ears.

Bob @ OCD Razors

Bob I have a rig that I use on Vintage scales to straighten them with a "Shot of Steam Iron"

I do not know if it will work on the Mammoth Tusk though.. I have used this on Celluloid, Bakelite, Wood, Ivory, Bone, Horn, Etc: Etc:

I can take pics later tonight if you think it might work.. but basically it is two pieces of Oak 3 in x 6.5 in x 1/4 inch... I have drilled multiple 1/8 inch holes through these so I have a sieve of sorts that allow steam through, but not enough holes to weaken the structure of the wood...

I place the old warped scales on the bottom piece and then place the top piece on... I clamp these together using C clamps but not overly tight...
I then set the iron on the outside of the wood and hit them a few times with the steam, and heat, flip it, and hit them from the other side.. Now I tighten the clamps and repeat, tighten, and repeat, until it is all straight and tight... I leave that sit for a day at least...

Hope that helps

Thanks Glen, sounds like the same principle as my boil, calmp, and bake except maybe more gentle. No need for pics as your description was very good

Bob

Originally Posted by boballman

A few years ago I purchased a razor with mammoth ivory bark stabilized scales. The scales came warped, more twisted than curved. Most of the twist is at the wedge end. The razor does not close without catching the edge.

My question is...how to straighten them. I have straightened wood, horn, bone and antler by boiling for about 1/2 hour then clamping on a bar of 1/8x1x6" piece of brass, then in the oven at 200 for 2 hours to dry. Since this is stabilized tusk, I don't think boiling will help soften them, so maybe I should skip this step. I don't know if heating in the oven then cooling will work. BUT most of all I don't want to ruin them. They are pretty!

If any one has ideas or experience...I'm all ears.

Bob @ OCD Razors

Hmm... ivory...... only ideas no direct experience.

Do a google search for "ivory piano keys warped"
Piano guys know a lot about ivory.

I do not know but suspect that ivory is not going to
respond to heat more than a little. The warping is
likely from uneven splashes of water or humidity
in the shave den.

Consider a temporary liner made of folded brass or something that
will not interfere with the razor and will apply light spring tension to the
scales for a long time. Apply the folded sheath to the razor
squeeze it tight and close the razor.

Folded steel or brass shim stock should help protect the edge
and coax the scales into shape if sized correctly.

Dry the razor well and use Tuf-Glide Rust Inhibitor & Lubricant
or the equivalent on the blade because the shim stock will keep air from drying
the blade the way it normally does.

You can also just close it with care let it air dry for a month or two and see
if it lines back up.

It may be responding to the wedge tension.. A new wedge or
new wedge end pin job might help.

First step protect from rust and air dry it for a while.

I have a couple razors that only close correctly if I watch
and guide the edge into the scales with care. It is a good
habit to get into no mater what.

Thanks Tom, These scales were warped when I got them, they did not become that way in the shave den. Being stabilized, they should be impervious to normal anounts of water splash and humidity. I have many pieces of stabilized wood and giraffe bone that I keep in the shop (garage) that are subject to the heat and humidity of the Houston climate. And 100% of the have suffered zero warpage. The only thing I can think of is that they got hot in storage or transit before I got them. Enough heat could definitely be harmful, I just wonder if it could also be the cure if applied correctly.

Thanks for your comments. I will search on line for ivory warpage.

Bob @ OCD Razors

Originally Posted by boballman

Thanks Tom, These scales were warped when I got them, they did not become that way in the shave den. Being stabilized, they should be impervious to normal anounts of water splash and humidity. I have many pieces of stabilized wood and giraffe bone that I keep in the shop (garage) that are subject to the heat and humidity of the Houston climate. And 100% of the have suffered zero warpage. The only thing I can think of is that they got hot in storage or transit before I got them. Enough heat could definitely be harmful, I just wonder if it could also be the cure if applied correctly.

Thanks for your comments. I will search on line for ivory warpage.

Bob @ OCD Razors

Let us know what you learn.

As beautiful as I suspect they are, I would just learn to close the razor with care.
I have to do that with a couple razors and once I learned to do it life is good.

Be careful with the mamouth. That stuff was burried in the ground a long time and the fossilization process started so depending on many things some of that can be rock not ivory anymore. You need to determine that before you start bending. Usually the closer to the surface the stuff came from (meaning surface of the tusk) the more likely it is to be partially replaced with rock.

I know nothing at all about ivory. One thought tho: If it was fossilized and more rock than ivory, it should not have warped in the first place?

But yea, 1+, be very careful. Not so easy to replace, but then again you would know as you bought it in the first place

It is an interesting question as to whether mammoth ivory is fossilised or not. From most of the websites that sell it I get the idea that it has been gathered from frozen siberian permafrost, so rather than being fossilised it has been kept in a kind of natural deep-freeze.

Some shows I saw on TV that extracted the animals said that the meat could still be eaten, and you could see that the skin and hair were almost as when the creatures were alive.

Regards,
Neil

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

It is an interesting question as to whether mammoth ivory is fossilised or not. From most of the websites that sell it I get the idea that it has been gathered from frozen siberian permafrost, so rather than being fossilised it has been kept in a kind of natural deep-freeze.

Some shows I saw on TV that extracted the animals said that the meat could still be eaten, and you could see that the skin and hair were almost as when the creatures were alive.

Regards,
Neil

Hmm so mammoth hide strops would be a possebilety?