Ivory Gemsbok segmented

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terryf

terryf

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Joined
Jul 10, 2010
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1,276
Location
Pretoria, South Africa
Having turned both Gemsbok and Ivory I thought I'd give segmenting a bash and combine the two in one pen. All I had left was a chrome Vail kit which probably wasn't the best choice.

Nevertheless I am very happy with the results.

Comments and crit welcomed

Thanks for looking :smile:
 

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Extremely sharp looking pen! I really need to try new materials and hope for the best. Work like this inspires me, thank you
 
wiset1 said:
Extremely sharp looking pen! I really need to try new materials and hope for the best. Work like this inspires me, thank you
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Tim, thanks for the kind words :smile:

I did offer you a section of Gemsbok horn in my previous thread of the all-Gemsbok pen but I didnt hear anything from you. Are you still interested?
PM me. :biggrin:
 
PaulDoug said:
That is a very classy pen for sure. Is that Gemsbok horn solid all the length of it like deer antler? Makes a very pretty pen.
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Thanks for the comment Doug.

The horn is solid about a third from the point. The bone inside the horn starts about a third of the way from the tip and increases in diameter until it reaches the bottom.

You can only use about 8 or 9 inches from each horn due to this.
 
Terry, That is an very distinguished looking pen! Great segmenting of very well chosen materials. Talk about inspiring...makes me want to go segment something... Regards, Doc
 
terryf said:
Nevertheless I am very happy with the results.

:smile:
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And so you should be!!! There are many seasoned pen makers that really struggle with bones and horns etc, let alone get great results like that.

You obviously forgot to read the rules when you joined IAP just a few months ago!!:mad: You are not allowed to make great stuff or even good pics, straight off the bat!!!:biggrin:

Jeeesh guys, don't these newbies make you sick!!!:tongue::biggrin:
 
wizard said:
Terry, That is an very distinguished looking pen! Great segmenting of very well chosen materials. Talk about inspiring...makes me want to go segment something... Regards, Doc
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Thanks Doc, coming from you it means a lot :smile:

I have learnt so much here on this site in the four months Ive been turning and its thanks to guys like yourself who post regularly that Ive been able to achieve what I have.

A sincere thank you to you and all the others on IAP!
 
skiprat said:
terryf said:
Nevertheless I am very happy with the results.

:smile:
Click to expand...


And so you should be!!! There are many seasoned pen makers that really struggle with bones and horns etc, let alone get great results like that.

You obviously forgot to read the rules when you joined IAP just a few months ago!!:mad: You are not allowed to make great stuff or even good pics, straight off the bat!!!:biggrin:

Jeeesh guys, don't these newbies make you sick!!!:tongue::biggrin:
Click to expand...

LOL, thanks Skip, us newbies get lucky now and again :tongue:

Thanks for the tip re using a sanding block. Hadn't thought of that :eek:

Turns out I didnt need to worry about the hard and soft materials though. I dont think I sanded for more than about 10 minutes through to 1200.

The MM took a lot longer because of the heat generated.
 
I get to South Africa every three years or so. Glad to see we have some penturners down that way!

Terry, where'd you get the ivory? Is it really old or from culling?
 
Parson said:
I get to South Africa every three years or so. Glad to see we have some penturners down that way!

Terry, where'd you get the ivory? Is it really old or from culling?
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Thanks

The ivory is Hippo tooth and comes from hunters mostly. This particular tooth came from a hippo that was shot by the parks board after going on the rampage through a local village near the Kruger National Park.
 
Nice Work! I think the kit works fine with the materials. Some might not think it's as high end as a statesman or emperor, but I think the simple clean look works great with very subtle material like ivory and gemsbok. Did you do a ca finish on it? I've never had any luck with ca over gemsbok, and although it does work on ivory (That looks like hippo, or maybe warthog?) I don't use it anymore because it seals the ivory, and doesn't allow you to treat it with oil to (hopefully) delay the (almost) inevitable cracking. I borrowed a trick from Bo Randall back in my knifemaking days with ivory and wrapped ivory handles in a white cotton cloth soaked in cotton seed oil, then sealed with saran wrap, and it has worked fine for me with ivory pens so far. He stored his this way indefinately, but for pens I just do it for a few days, and advise the new owners to repeat every year or so.

Cracked ivory can be repaired with powdered sugar and thin ca, cracked gemsbok can be treated with black ink from a sharpie (to cover the brass tube) and then filled with med ca and repolished. I personally don't consider cracks in either of these materials to be defects, it's just a fact of life. I look at it as normal wear and tear, carefully maintained.
 
jskeen said:
Nice Work! I think the kit works fine with the materials. Some might not think it's as high end as a statesman or emperor, but I think the simple clean look works great with very subtle material like ivory and gemsbok. Did you do a ca finish on it? I've never had any luck with ca over gemsbok, and although it does work on ivory (That looks like hippo, or maybe warthog?) I don't use it anymore because it seals the ivory, and doesn't allow you to treat it with oil to (hopefully) delay the (almost) inevitable cracking. I borrowed a trick from Bo Randall back in my knifemaking days with ivory and wrapped ivory handles in a white cotton cloth soaked in cotton seed oil, then sealed with saran wrap, and it has worked fine for me with ivory pens so far. He stored his this way indefinately, but for pens I just do it for a few days, and advise the new owners to repeat every year or so.

Cracked ivory can be repaired with powdered sugar and thin ca, cracked gemsbok can be treated with black ink from a sharpie (to cover the brass tube) and then filled with med ca and repolished. I personally don't consider cracks in either of these materials to be defects, it's just a fact of life. I look at it as normal wear and tear, carefully maintained.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the comments and tips. Good to know the kit wasn't the wrong choice, thank you!

I actually collect the shavings from the ivory to use to fill cracks if necessary. Ivory, as you have mentioned, does tend to crack over time if not cared for, hence no coating. I also over drill just a fraction to allow internal movement as well.

The same applies for Gemsbok horn, no coating so that it can move and breathe. Its not like Buffalo.

The ivory is indeed Hippo, as I mentioned in my previous post.

I couldn't agree more, one expects to find cracks in these sorts of materials.

I use raw linseed oil to treat the ivory.
 
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