Mammouth tusk for nut & bridge insert

[Dan Phillips]

Has anyone used Mammouth tusk for nuts or bridge inserts?

I am considering using it in a Weissenborn style build.

Dan

[David King]

I just turned some strap buttons from mammoth and it's wonderful stuff. I'm sure it would be fine. Just be aware when sanding it that you don't let it warm up too much or it may craze on the surface.

[Michael Lewis]

Mammoth ivory will work well if it is structurally sound. But why use any ivory with all the hubbub over the use of elephant or walrus ivory and all the potential legal entanglements? Most 'inspectors' probably can't discern the difference between mammoth, mastodon, and elephant ivories.

[Alan Carruth]

In some states (notably NY) commerce in ALL types of ivory is banned. Period. I'd steer clear until things settle down to a more sane level.

[Clay Schaeffer]

I've used Mammoth tusk for nuts and saddles. Some of it is wonderfully colorful - cream to tan to chocolate to blue grey. Although smelly to work with (like elephant ivory or bone) it polishes up nicely. Depending on where you live you may want to consider using it on personal instruments only.

[David King]

I heard an interview with Oregon's chief wildlife pathologist and it sounds like at least they have a handle on telling ivories apart. You will eventually get your seized property back should you be so unlucky.

[Michael Lewis]

" . get your seized property back . . " Do you remember the final scene in the Raiders of the Lost Ark? The crate supposedly containing the Ark of the Covenant being taken into a gigantic warehouse stacked with rows and rows of similar looking crates.

[Dan Phillips]

Thanks, guys, for the wise advise. O.K. maybe Mammouth tusk is not a bright idea, but my former Walrus supplier's cost is more than I can pay. I would go with bone, but I want an oversize nut and can't find one.

Anyone know where I can get a 3 inch long 3/4 x 1/4 inch nut blank? I can get a reasonable price on Mammouth. Thanks for any leads you can give.

[Bob Gramann]

You can go to Petsmart and buy a bleached bone section (aka dog chew). You cut your blank out of that with a bandsaw. I have done many custum size blanks this way.

[Dan Phillips]

Thanks, Bob. I have not tried cutting my own because I have read that a very good degreasing is needed. Have the bones sold at pet stores had a proper degreasing for cutting nut and bridge blanks?

[Alan Carruth]

They steam the fat out of the bones they sell at the pet stores, unless, of course, you get a cheese-filled one or something like that. The steaming actually makes them a little less hard than they could be, but they are certainly usable: I've been working with them for years.

A test of the de-greasing step is to put the bone piece in some white gas/Coleman fuel. If the gas turns yellow there's still some grease in the bone.

[Bob Gramann]

I've only bought the ones that are degreased. If I were really desperate, I might buy a greasy one or one filled with flavoring, but so far, I've been able to buy them clean. When I find they have clean ones, (sometime they don't), I buy an extra one for the next time. They are pretty cheap. For normal sizes, I buy the blanks from the usual suppliers. They cost more, but they sure save me some time in preparation.

[Alan Carruth]

I've processed bone from the butcher shop in the past. It takes some time. You start by making soup: boil the bone in clear water for a day and use the stock for supper. The next day you boil it again, but this time you shave some Ivory soap into the water as soon as you see fat rise to the surface. Keep simmering the bone and adding soap until the water gets thick, then start in again with some fresh water. You may have to simmer with soap for several days until you no longer see any fat rising: obviously this works much better if you heat with a wood stove. When you no longer see any fat switch to fresh water one more time to get the soap out. I imagine that you could just use a SMALL amount of lye, but I have not tried that. Bone processed this way will be a bit darker and harder than the pet store stuff.

[Clay Schaeffer]

They killed the bill that would ban any type of ivory sales in Maryland, so perhaps the tide is turning.

[David King]

Washington State has a ballot measure that would end all sales of parts from 8 endangered animals but it specifically exempts musical instruments. If it passes I might get to build a bass with a leopard skin patterned "shark fin"...

[Clay Schaeffer]

gitarzan! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=293Irm-vxtE