Thread: mammoth ivory and abalone.

thanks for the reply ,I agree it is hard to actually get pieces large and thick enough to be of use .I used the fiber cutting wheels for dremmels,you go through so many,however the other day I was trolling the tool section at a local market and found diamond cutting wheels that fit a dremmel. Six in the pkt and a shank for $15AU , I have tried it out on the MOP and buff scales and they work great,they give the impression that they will last a considerable time
Kind regards Peter

Diamond wheels do work well, although they won't last forever, either. If you think abalone is tough stuff to work with, try some beautiful pink conch shell. It's big, it's solid, it's hard. it's tough.... did I say hard? This stuff is so freaking hard that I went through TWO big 8 inch cutting wheels splitting one of those shells and getting a few shards to use. NEVER again.

Originally Posted by PapaBull

Diamond wheels do work well, although they won't last forever, either. If you think abalone is tough stuff to work with, try some beautiful pink conch shell. It's big, it's solid, it's hard. it's tough.... did I say hard? This stuff is so freaking hard that I went through TWO big 8 inch cutting wheels splitting one of those shells and getting a few shards to use. NEVER again.

Can`t say that I have tried to cut one of those
Kind regards Peter

A wet tile saw is the best thing to cut shell with. If not, a band saw with a metal cutting blade works well. I've picked up some pieces of mop and abalone about 1" x1" x 1.5mm for a decent price. The trouble with cutting your own is that it produces an incredible amount of not-so-healthy dust. The wet tile saw does help to keep the dust down.

I agree, band saws and wet cutting saws are the way to go.

Awesome! Where does one obtain the ivory?

For mammoth ivory, you can check out just about any source, but ebay seems to have a large amount around. Mammoth ivory is 100% LEGAL and UNRESTRICTED, so it can be shipped internationally without any trouble. Obviously, the mammoth are in no danger, since they have been dead about 5000-50,000 years.

If you are looking for small pieces of mammoth, for 1/2 or 1/3 scales, I can help you out. I've got about 5 pound of the stuff in my shop. If you are looking for full scale lengths, I don't have much that's over 5" long.

Good luck,

I gave ebay a quick search and found the ideal solution for those who do not have enough mammoth ivory... http://cgi.ebay.com/MMMM-Lot-of-Wool...QQcmdZViewItem
The link will bring you to 5600lbs of mammoth ivory trimmings and is going for a mere $50 000.
I have just started on scales (presently a set of purple heart) and would love to try the ivory one day. I am just not certain that I need any more than, oh, say 500 lbs to get a good set of scales.

Have you tried asking the seller if he'd send you a 1/2 pound sample for $25?

I bet he wants to move the stuff.

The seller has some smaller lots listed for sale. I doubt these scraps will be suitable for full scales, since pieces that are 6" long aren't generally scrap. you can always ask though.