# Just a bragging - I got a mammoth ivory scrap



## Alejanders (Aug 4, 2011)

As you may know, most of mammoth excavations is in Alaska and Yakutiya.

One of Yakutian mammoth carvers sold me some scrap.

About 5.5 kilograms. Here it is.


----------



## terryf (Aug 4, 2011)

nice haul!


----------



## thewishman (Aug 4, 2011)

Wow, that is some nice stuff! Congratulations.


----------



## seamus7227 (Aug 4, 2011)

Now that, I'm a little jealous of, but congrats anyway! Hope you got a heck of a deal on it!


----------



## ryvnd2001 (Aug 4, 2011)

Want to sell any?


----------



## rkimery (Aug 4, 2011)

As my Hope Arkansas cousin use to tell me...
It was something about the best pick up line in an Arkansas sports bar or somewhere....:biggrin:   Nice Tooth!  :biggrin:


----------



## bitshird (Aug 4, 2011)

Nice haul, over here I get scrap, but smaller pieces for 65.00 a pound, you have a few pieces that look large enough to make some pens with out casting them. I have one piece that may make a Sierra and I found out that Poly Resin doesn't really like to adhere to Ivory very good.


----------



## Alejanders (Aug 4, 2011)

ryvnd2001 said:


> Want to sell any?


I think, it is possible. At least small pieces for casting.


----------



## Rick P (Aug 4, 2011)

Wow that's scrap? Good for you! It is "interesting" stuff to turn.


----------



## tim self (Aug 4, 2011)

Ok, no one else has said it, officially "you suck"!!  Nice haul though, to bad they didnt have mammoths in the southern US.


----------



## Alejanders (Aug 5, 2011)

tim self said:


> Ok, no one else has said it, officially "you suck"!!



What do you mean?


----------



## edicehouse (Aug 5, 2011)

I was going to say something about him being on American Pickers, but saw his location was Russia!


----------



## wolftat (Aug 5, 2011)

Alejanders said:


> tim self said:
> 
> 
> > Ok, no one else has said it, officially "you suck"!!
> ...


It is a sarcastic american saying, also means "congratulations on the haul, I'm jealous".


----------



## Alejanders (Aug 5, 2011)

wolftat said:


> Alejanders said:
> 
> 
> > tim self said:
> ...



Thanks for explanation. I though it have another meaning. 

Is it hard to find mammoth ivory scrap in US?
Anyway, there is a shops in US, that sell real elephant ivory. 
There is no way to find it in my country.

But mammoth ivory more interesting. :wink:


----------



## dgscott (Aug 5, 2011)

Wait till you turn it -- the smell is THE WORST. Take it slow, DON'T let it get hot. Some folks advise soaking it in mineral oil for a few weeks before using, others say that the best way to keep it from cracking is not to glue it to a brass tube as it continues to expand and contract.

But it is cool working with something that old.
Doug


----------



## Alejanders (Aug 5, 2011)

dgscott, it is no need to wait - I have turned mammoth ivory - http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=83853

You are right odor is disgusting. It smells with old dirty elephant in dentist's office. 

That odor comes trough respirator... 

It is cost of beautyful texture and very old stuff...


----------



## bigkev (Aug 5, 2011)

i have used it for knife handles in the past, but its best if its acrylic stabilised, otherwise it may crumble and crack...


----------



## Alejanders (Aug 9, 2011)

Please tell me, is it hard to buy mammoth ivory scrap in US?

What's about big tusk parts, that can be cutted into pen blanks and knife scales?


----------



## Russianwolf (Aug 9, 2011)

There are a couple places to get Mammoth scrap from in the US, and even some whole tusks. Granted a whole tusk will run in the thousands.

The guy I get mine from is a Russian that lives here.


----------



## Alejanders (Aug 9, 2011)

Whole tusks in Russia very expensive too. Anyway, nobody will buy 10 feet long tusk to cut it into pen blanks.


But price of 2-3 lbs piece - for example 4 inch diameter and 5.5 inch long - is about $150-300 (depends from color and cracks). It must be enugh for 10-15 pen blanks and a lot of scrap for inlay, casting, bands, nibs etc...


----------



## AKPenTurner (Aug 9, 2011)

I've been able to get a hold of it pretty easily here in Alaska. I don't remember how much I paid for a piece that was a pound or two. It was kind of cracked, so I didn't pay much, and it has now cracked quite a bit more, enough that I can't get any whole pens out of it, but can use it for inlays, nibs etc..


----------

