I may be on the list to turn some Ivory in the near future also. How does one finish Ivory? I assume it does not get CA finish on it.
Phil
Well for one I only use a skew when turning ivory. The idea being to get it as smooth as possible before starting to sand. I resharpen regularly throughout the process. I dont think this is really necessary if you're using a carbide tip but my HSS skews dull quickly.
I usually start with 600 and I spend way more time sanding than I would with other materials to ensure that I dont miss anything and have to come back and start again.
Once I start using MM I make sure they are properly washed and clean - any dirt that gets into the grain will be very difficult to get out DAMHIKT
Once I've finished with 12000 I buff with a white paste thats equivalent to about 20000 - dont use any other colour than white.
I then place the finished blank in a little tub with glycerine for about 24hours, wash it with ethanol and assemble. I learnt this trick from an old man that used do a lot of scrimshaw work.
Of the five pens that havent cracked, three were done this way. Who knows if it works, I do it anyway!
I put no coating on the outside whatsoever - natural material needs to breathe
Keep the turnings in case you need to fill a chip or crack.
I normally drill the blank over two or three days with no more than about an inch per session and I go through the entire rack of drill bits from left to right.
If your workshop changes temperature dramatically from one day to the next only work on ivory when the temps are pretty close to each other. Think of hot and cold liquid on your teeth - generally unpleasant.
Also try and pick a kit that has lots of meat on it, the thinner the ivory the more prone it is to cracking although even an Imperial has cracked on me.
All in all its a terrible material to use for pens!
