I Think This is a first "Hippo Hide Sierra"

[maxman400]

One of my guys has a stick in his trunk that looks like a rib of some sort, so I asked him what it was and he told me it was "Hippo Hide" that he has had for a few years. So I asked him where he got it and he said he has a friend that is a game warden in Africa and he sent it to him as a gift. I then asked him what he used it for and he said it was meant to be a club and he has used it to kill snakes and beat on tires and it has even been run over by his car. So I asked him if I could have a piece of it to try to make it in to a pen for him, so he gave me a piece long enough to make a Sierra and here it is. It turns a lot like Cow hide but it is not porous like cow leather. CA will stick to it but does not soak in to it. It is part solid white and part translucent amber. I painted the inside of the Hippo Blank with pearl white paint and used white Gorilla glue. After turning the blank to size I applied 10 coats of thin and two coats of thick CA for the finish. It does have a foul smell if it gets hot like during sanding on mt belt sander.
Comments and questions welcome, and Thanks for Looking. :biggrin:

 

[firewhatfire]

It's ashame he didn't give you enough for 2 pens. 1 for him and 1 for you. I like the idea of a pen like no one else has ever seen. I like the pen.

Phil

 

[BradG]

Way for smething different Max


Though i must admit i hope everyone involved was telling the truth as to where the hide came from and it is indeed a hippo.... Cant help but think silence of the lambs

 

[maxman400]

Way for smething different Max


Though i must admit i hope everyone involved was telling the truth as to where the hide came from and it is indeed a hippo.... Cant help but think silence of the lambs

LOL... :biggrin: Well at a little over an inch thick I don't think it could be much else. And this stuff would need a tanker load of lotion.

 

[Haynie]

Interesting color but when I first read the title I would have swore it said Hippy Hide.

 

[el_d]

That came out really nice Max, Plus the fact that your friend had that thing in his trunk for beating thing with is kinda cool.