# El Toro with Fossilized Mamouth Ivory



## islandturner (Feb 20, 2010)

My first offering here...

Up in Alaska last summer, I bought this piece of fossilized mamouth ivory. (The shiny areas are thin CA, poured into the cracks.)







It's about 4" long -- the pen that follows was made from the piece on the upper right. I chose the El Toro in sterling silver from Lee Valley Tools because it requires quite a small piece for the grip.















The dark wood is African Blackwood.

It's interesting that the ivory looks like wood. The stains and blotches are natural -- they became visible during the final turning and sanding. The wood grain appearance is from the layers of ivory. I guess as the animal grew, the tusts expanded in layers, much like a tree trunk. The long cracks were there and filled with CA before turning. The ivory was easier to turn than antler, but was slow; it would have been expensive to have it fly apart. Drilling it was the scariest part -- it took a couple of evenings, moving up in size with several bits, and filling cracks with CA as I went.

I gave this one to my wife, and she seems to like it. While it's a bit of an oddball looking fountain pen kit, it's comfortable to write with when the cap is screwed onto the pen body.

Thanks all....
Steve


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## David Keller (Feb 20, 2010)

Interesting pen.  I've never turned ivory, but I'm not sure I really like it.


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## Oldwagon (Feb 20, 2010)

You did a great job.I think I am going to try one of those soon.Looks like a interesting pen.Thanks for showing. Todd


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## willardz (Feb 20, 2010)

Like the grain pattern on the mammoth, Looks great!


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## Crickett (Feb 20, 2010)

Great little pen!!  A hard one to put a price on with the materials you used.

Marla


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## Boodrow (Feb 20, 2010)

:glasses-cool: Too Cool!!! Beautiful Work!


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## islandturner (Feb 21, 2010)

"Great little pen!! A hard one to put a price on with the materials you used."
Marla

"Interesting pen. I've never turned ivory, but I'm not sure I really like it."
David Keller

David -- yes, I must admit that I was disappointed with the appearance of the ivory in the final prep before finishing. If this was wood, it would have been rejected. But I hope the fact that it is 8,000 to 40,000 year old prehistoric mammoth ivory will give it some different appeal. 

Marla -- This piece of ivory cost approx $50.00 and with a bit of luck will make five pens. I do intend to sell the remaining four -- this one has been a learning experience. I have no idea what to charge. I guess it will depend on the finished pen's overall appearance. Hopefully the next won't have that mottled appearance as this one does...

Thanks
Steve


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## lane223 (Feb 21, 2010)

I've turned a couple of elephant ivory pens, really stinks,  did the mammoth ivory have any smell?


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## Rifleman1776 (Feb 22, 2010)

Very interesting.
I have wondered if the MI would be turnable, figured it would be basically rock.
I don't like the El Toro pen at all but that has nothing to do with your work.
Nice job. Do use this pen to show off and solicit a commission for another pen made from the MI. Charge plenty for the uniqueness of the pen.


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## islandturner (Feb 22, 2010)

lane223 said:


> I've turned a couple of elephant ivory pens, really stinks, did the mammoth ivory have any smell?


 
No, there was zero odor. Mind you, I was wearing a respirator during the actual turning/sanding. But when I took it off, there was no residual odor around the lathe as with other bone, horn, and antler materials. And this stuff is fossilized, so I guess isn't organic anymore? With my luck, I'm afraid I'd suck in some prehistoric virus that would cause Gawd only knows what...


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## islandturner (Feb 22, 2010)

Rifleman1776 said:


> Very interesting.
> I have wondered if the MI would be turnable, figured it would be basically rock.
> I don't like the El Toro pen at all but that has nothing to do with your work.
> Nice job. Do use this pen to show off and solicit a commission for another pen made from the MI. Charge plenty for the uniqueness of the pen.


 
This stuff was way easier to turn than antler – I cut it with a fine blade in the band saw and drilled it on the lathe. It is just nerve rattling, knowing that the slightest screw up is going to ruin a fairly unique piece of material. I’d say what I bought was similar to the Grade 2 ivory down at the bottom of this page http://www.canadafossils.com/mammoth_ivory.html. If I bought more, I think I’ll spend more for Grade 1 so it isn’t so fractured with cracks and delamination. The color would likely be better, too.

Yeah, I'm not fussy about the El Toro kit either -- I chose it for just one pen because it requires such a small piece for the grip portion of the pen. I'll get larger pieces from the remainder of the 'chunk' so can use a more attractive kit. 

I bought this piece of ivory in Skagway on an AK cruise and gave this pen to my considerably better half as an anniversary present. It has provided incalculable brownie points if you catch my drift...  But the pen has really grown on me, and it is nice to write with.

Thanks for your comments….

Steve


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## Mr Vic (Feb 22, 2010)

Great work1 is the pen really as sort and squat looking as it is in the picture?Had to jump on Lee Valley's site to check one out.. looks a bit similar to a Woodcraft El Grande.

Stand corrected the body is considerably shorter....


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## theHullTurn (Feb 23, 2010)

It really does look like wood! Thats neat!


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## Wayne (May 23, 2010)

Steve,  Any chance you could tell me the tube lengths?


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## islandturner (May 24, 2010)

wracinowski said:


> Steve, Any chance you could tell me the tube lengths?


 
Hello Wayne, I can't measure these tubes to a great deal of precision without disassembling, but I put the calipers on the assembled sections best I can. Looks like the grip is approximately 1.40" and the cap is 1.85". This is, say, +/- 0.02".

Cheers
Steve


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## dl351 (May 24, 2010)

Interesting pen.  I was just wondering yesterday about mammoth ivory on a pen.  I guess it is possible!

Have you ever considered mammoth tooth?  Lots of contrast and layers in those.


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## Wayne (May 24, 2010)

Thanks, Steve,


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