Will Ivory crack?

[OKLAHOMAN]

Bet your arse it will. Some might remember two weeks ago I made this pen, well I took it with me to the Arizona desert and actually "HEARD" it crack. Well time for some fill. I did save some shavings, so I'll wait a month or so and repair it. Oh well lesson learned.

 

[IPD_Mr]

Now Roy, come clean here. Did you hear it crack, or your bones when you bent over to pick it up off the floor? :biggrin:

Actually if you could get this to crack 4-5 more times and fill with turquoise and black it should be worth twice your asking price. :tongue:

 

[OKLAHOMAN]

Now Roy, come clean here. Did you hear it crack, or your bones when you bent over to pick it up off the floor? :biggrin:

Actually if you could get this to crack 4-5 more times and fill with turquoise and black it should be worth twice your asking price. :tongue:

I guess if it cracked 4-5 more times, and filled with turquoise and black powder coat according to some here that qualifies for a quantity discount.:biggrin:

 

[terryf]

Roy

I'm sorry to hear it crack-ed (no pun intended)

Analysis time ol boy - you sealed it with something?? CA maybe?
Did you treat it with wax or oil when you had finished turning?
Did you leave it in the sun perhaps?
I'm assuming the desert has a very low humidity?

Any one of these could be your problem or all of them. Ive made about 7 ivory pens since July last year and not one of them has cracked. None have a seal on them and all have been waxed.

I also have a supply of shavings if you run short but I do like the idea of the torquoise or gold inlay - reckon it would look stunning!!

 

[hewunch]

I took a mammoth Ivory pen with me to Alaska to show some folks what I made from the chunk I bought. The lower barrel cracked clear off the tube sometime in the flight.

So I feel your pain!

 

[witz1976]

Another question is what was the cause? Could it be the brass expanding and contracting due to heat or was it the ivory itself? Either way that sucks to hear Roy, but I am sure you will turn this into something cool!

 

[JerrySambrook]

Roy,
How does the bond line look at the bottom of the crack if you can see to the tube?
The pens that I have had crack or chip out on me show that the bond line was either very spotty or non-existant in those areas.

As for the brass tube expanding, bone has a much greater coefficient of expansion than the brass does,

 

[PenMan1]

The problem is more likely the change (or lack) of humidity in the desert. Ivory, bone, casein are all materials (just like the human body) that require a somewhat "moist" environment.

I'll bet you did, indeed, hear it crack and I'll bet it was a loud crack.

Ever notice that the "tour buses", etc in Las Vegas are filled with free, cold water? The reason for this is to keep us old renecks from the land of 95 percent humidity from breaking bones and passing out from the lack of humidity.

 

[terryf]

The problem is more likely the change (or lack) of humidity in the desert. Ivory, bone, casein are all materials (just like the human body) that require a somewhat "moist" environment.

Spot on Andy, it is the most likely answer. Key is of course to keep the ivory oiled or waxed - in those areas once every four to six weeks should work.

Add to that a tighter than usual fit putting pressure on the ivory may also have contributed and I may have considered this as an option in my earlier post but then I doubt its the case here as Roy's fit n finish are higher than average!

Just a little higher mind you :devil: hehe

 

[workinforwood]

I think you could analyze the situation all day long, but the bottom line is that it is a natural product that can crack simply due to nature. It's not any different than wood or antler...especially antlers. I've had ones for years, never cracks, had ones for years before they cracked, and days before they cracked..you deal with natural materials and these are the risks. It's possible that ivory pen will crack 50 more times, or no more. Best if you fix it to simply warn buyers of potential for cracks.

 

[nava1uni]

I would think that the ivory in Africa, where it comes from, would be less apt to crack then ivory that has been brought to the other end of the world. The climate and humidity is so different, especially Arizona. I have a very large piece from a friend that grew up in South Africa. Her grandfather gave it to her when she was a child. I am afraid to cut into it and have it crack.

 

[OKLAHOMAN]

Well we know that taking it to the desert where the humity was less than 10% is most likely the cause.
I will take it apart and let it sit for a while. In the meantime I think I'll make a new cap in black and have a musical note engraved and call it "Ebony and Ivory". :biggrin:















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[witz1976]

In the meantime I think I'll make a new cap in black and have a musical note engraved and call it "Ebony and Ivory". :biggrin:

Oh very cool idea!!

 

[PenMan1]

I like it!

Well we know that taking it to the desert where the humity was less than 10% is most likely the cause.
I will take it apart and let it sit for a while. In the meantime I think I'll make a new cap in black and have a musical note engraved and call it "Ebony and Ivory". :biggrin:



Now, that is the kind of thinking I like! Make the best of a bad situation and raise the price $50. Way to go, Roy!

Just a thought.....if you use rubberized CA (it's black, anyway) to fill the laser musical note, would this act like an "expansion" joint and allow the Ivory to expand and contract without cracking?