# Mammoth tooth



## Alejanders (Jan 9, 2013)

Friends, I want show somehting that you have never seen before.
It is a pen from mammoth tusk (molar).


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## stonepecker (Jan 9, 2013)

BEAUTIFUL


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## thewishman (Jan 9, 2013)

That is amazing!!!


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## maxman400 (Jan 9, 2013)

Great Looking Pen, I made one just before Christmas and it's amazing how much variation there is between different teeth. Did you have any Issues with drilling it?

http://www.penturners.org/forum/f13/mammoth-tooth-triton-really-tough-stuff-105502/


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## Alejanders (Jan 9, 2013)

maxman400, sorry I thought my pen is first here. 
It seems that "my" tooth is in better condition, that is why enamel and dentine is much more contrast.
But regardless of that, tooth is VERY brittle and chips out very easily.
I spent three hours to make one blank. And it was read headache to drill it. Drill bit grows blunt very fast and overheaten it. Blank cracked few times and I secured it with rag soaked with CA.
And turning... Was real torture. But I love result. At last it is better then Montblanс.


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## maxman400 (Jan 9, 2013)

Alejanders said:


> maxman400, sorry I thought my pen is first here.


No worries about that. LOL When I did mine I Glued wood strips on all four sides of the blank and after cutting it to tube size I capped the ends with wood also. I started drilling with a 1/4" bit and progressed 1/64" at a time until I reached my tube size.


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## mikespenturningz (Jan 9, 2013)

That is just beautiful. Was it like working with bone or antler? It looks like some sort of rock?


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## Curly (Jan 9, 2013)

Alejanders I know I have seen at least one maker in Pen World magazine if not more that use mammoth tooth for pens. William Henry is one. Both you and Max made unique pens you should be proud of. 

Product Detail - William Henry Studio - Superlative Function Deserves to be Elevated to Superlative Art


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## Alejanders (Jan 9, 2013)

mikespenturningz, tooth is much more hard and brittle then antler. HSS chisel dulls very fast, so you may use carbide chisel or sandpaper.

Curly, you are right. Thank you.


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## wiset1 (Jan 9, 2013)

I've seen a couple of these between the IAP and the William Henry site, so not really and overall first, but then again...it's difficult to come up with anything around this site that hasn't been tried at least once.  You have to remember the turners here are very inquisitive and will put just about ANYTHING in or on a pen, ha ha ha.

When I was in Burma I was going to buy a couple of the teeth in a local shop, but they saw tourist prices in their eyes and I had to walk away.  You've done a great job with the material and I'm sure it was a difficult task to drill and finish.  It is basically stone.

Great looking pen!

OOPS...I see Peter (Curly) noted the William Henry site already.


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## firewhatfire (Jan 9, 2013)

Here is the one I did.  Y'all's looks a lot better than mine did.

http://www.penturners.org/forum/f13/wooly-mammoth-tooth-cigar-83525/


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## elody21 (Jan 11, 2013)

This is truly beautiful! !!!!!!!
 But, I am having trouble seeing the tusk in this pen. I am familiar with the make up of a mammoth tusk and I do not see a typical tusk structure here. Is this petrified tusk with other material? A mammoth tusk grows similar to a tree in that it has layers of material. If a tusk was cut one could see the rings, but they are very close together.
I am not doubting that it is made of tusk, I am just confused.
Also, at least in the experience I have had, tusk in general is very sweet to turn so I assume that this is petrified?? I have worked with both mammoth and walrus tusk in the past.
It is a very beautiful pen I just wish you could give us some history as to where this piece of material came from etc..
I have not been on the site much lately so maybe you explained this already in an earlier post.
Alice


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## yaroslaw (Jan 11, 2013)

elody21, as far as it's written here, it's not a TUSK, it's a TOOTH. Hence the difference in appearance, structure and strength.

Alexander, beautiful pen. I've seen some pieces of mammoth tooth, even stabilized, on knife show we visited together in Moscow, but I wouldn't thought you would make a pen from that stuff


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## Alejanders (Jan 11, 2013)

Thank you for explaination, yaroslaw.

Mammoth tusk consist of dentine mainly with no enamel.
But one tooth (mammoth had 4 teeth totally) consists from enamel scales with dentine inside and between.

Look at photos bellow. It is unprocessed tooth and its upper layer pieces after polishing.


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## dom1971 (Jan 30, 2017)

I have been able to doubly stabilize cut blanks and drill them. Offering for those who want them.


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## dom1971 (Jan 30, 2017)

just send me a pm. More listed on FB group, snakewoods


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## rhall_8 (Jan 30, 2017)

Love it!


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## jeff (Jan 30, 2017)

dom1971 said:


> I have been able to doubly stabilize cut blanks and drill them. Offering for those who want them.



Please head to our For Sale Forum if you want to sell things. Thanks.


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## Jgrden (Jan 31, 2017)

:rotfl:That is pretty darned nice. How many drinks did you have before you wrestled the mammoth for its tooth?  Are you okay? You misunderstood the instructions. You were suppose to wrestle the bar maid  and shoot the mammoth.


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## dom1971 (Oct 2, 2017)

Hello All, I have perfected a drilling method without heat or cracking. Here are some recent pens. Happily will supply these.


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## leehljp (Oct 2, 2017)

Very nice! Well done!


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## Lucky2 (Oct 2, 2017)

Why are people always bringing back old postings like this one, wouldn't it be just as easy to start a new one? This one is from 2013, it must have taken some time searching to find it. And what has brought it back to the forefront, doesn't seem to make much sense to me. It seems to be off topic, please excuse my ignorance.
Len


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