Hippopotamus Teeth

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keithbyrd

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My son sent me 4 pieces of ivory - hippo teeth - I would like to ask for advice on how to and what to best use them on. What would be the best style of pen? How would you handle it? Are their any drilling cautions? Are the prone to cracking?
Based on these questions you can tell that I have never worked with it and certainly want to make the best use so I am turning to the Council of Vast Experience (IAP) for advice and guidance!
They each have a hollow at one end about 1 inch deep. There is at least 2 1/2 inches (on the curved one) and the others have 3-3 3/4 of usable tooth. You thoughts, ideas, cautions, etc , etc are welcomed!
 

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Hmmmmm...my first guess, and that's all it is, would be stabilizing. If it's fossilized, it will be mostly mineral so it could be hard and fragile.
 
More hmmmm......what about mounting one in a vise and drilling into it with a small (1/4") bit and see what it looks like on the inside?
 
I would use the small curved tooth to experiment with. See how it cuts and drills. Slice pieces off to make trim rings or inlays for other projects. Slow and cool are your best friends. Start with a small drill bit and slowly work your way up. As Jim said, I would look for any cracking in the teeth and stableize with juice or soak with thin CA to hold any weak spots together. Also coat the insides as you drill with thin CA to seal any inner cracks or voids. As Phill said, Sterling Silver would be my choise also. It may be a little expensive, but how many people have hippo teeth to use in their pens. Good Luck!!! Jim S
 
Some good thoughts - I appreciate the feedback - I want to ensure that I get the most out of these teeth - don't come by them everyday!
 
Hi keith: Don't know if you caught my answer to your question in the Ivory tweat, so I will repete it here for you. By slow and cool I ment do everything slow from the planning to the finishing. Chech and measure everything twice before cutting and turning. Drill at slower speeds and watch the pressure and heat on the tooth. Use your scrap pieces to see what finish will look best on your pen before you commit to one. Make sure your tubes are free of any glue before pressing your fittings in. I use a tapered reamer or round file to bevel the inside of the tubes slightly so the fittings start straight. Slow even pressure when inserting the fittings. Good luck with your Hippo tooth. Jim S
 
plantman said:
Hi keith: Don't know if you caught my answer to your question in the Ivory tweat, so I will repete it here for you. By slow and cool I ment do everything slow from the planning to the finishing. Chech and measure everything twice before cutting and turning. Drill at slower speeds and watch the pressure and heat on the tooth. Use your scrap pieces to see what finish will look best on your pen before you commit to one. Make sure your tubes are free of any glue before pressing your fittings in. I use a tapered reamer or round file to bevel the inside of the tubes slightly so the fittings start straight. Slow even pressure when inserting the fittings. Good luck with your Hippo tooth. Jim S
Click to expand...

Jim - thanks for the follow up - I am going to start working on it this weekend - you have given some sound advice - will let you know how it goes - Thanks for your help!
 
You sure would want a good CA finish on that. Not like "20 coats" or something, just even coat without "dry spots" (CA do not stick very well to ivory). Keep it a bit "brushed" or matted, not glass-like polish, to look more natural. Without CA it can crack.

Do not stabilize with CJ and heat!!! The only way is using long-living resin (or casting with pressure, if you can).

As for plating - rodium or black TI looks really good with ivory-colored material (I prefer black Ti).

It will dull your tools. Very fast. Carbide would help but not that much - I suggest using 1 fresh side on each barrel (at least mammoth pen took me 2 sides on 2 barrel pen). Sharp skew could be better (but you should sharpen it offten, better by hands with a fine stones), it gives much more control.
 
Thank you Yaroslaw - I will be working on it this week - I finally have some pen parts coming in to start a pen - I will post my experience and pics!
Thanks to everybody for their tips and advice!
 
Keith, I'm pretty sure that Hippo teeth are covered by Cities and are not legal in the US. Te laws are at times very confusing. Be careful.
Here is some info:
The ivory from hippo teeth, however, is protected by CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, a treaty signed by more than 120 nations to eliminate illegal trade in animals and plants, in effect since 1975. Asian elephants also are controlled by CITES, but African elephants are controlled under the African Elephant Conservation Act, which forbids the importation of ivory into the United States since 1989.
 
Thanks for the alert Roy. These were purchased from a supplier at the National SCI (Safari Club International) Convention in Las Vegas in February. I am told that everything sold by this supplier is legal. If you think I may be being misled please send another alert!
 
They are very cool and unique. I think making a pen from them is shameful. Once you spin it into a pen it's not going to look much different than any other ivory or bone pen and if it cracks over time, which is extremely likely no matter how you handle them, then they end up in the trash. If I owned them I would drill a nice clean hole sideways near the base of each tooth and string them together with a nice braided leather and then hang them on the wall near the fireplace. Now you have a nice display and a nice story and nobody will question if they are hippo teeth, they can see how big they are, it's just neat. Not everything needs to be a pen.
 
The CITES treaty doesn't make things illegal. It does highly regulate them and try to limit trafficking in endangered and threatened species.
 
Well I have successfully drilled and glued two pieces. I have everything but the clip from silverpen parts - start turning tomorrow!
I appreciate all the advice people posted!
 
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