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266472 Ed Minch <ruby1638@a...> 2018‑09‑09 Carving
GGGG

I am imagining my net guitar.  I got a fabulous piece of redwood from a friend
who is renovating a 1954 ranch house that was designed by an architect.  On the
wall there was 1800 linear feet of redwood 1X8 tacked with 6d finish nails every
32 inches, so very little damage.  I got a piece that has 35-40 grain lines per
inch and is absolutely vertical grain, and it will make a grand top.

Most of my design influences come from the period 1890-1940, and at that time,
ivory was used for many parts - the binding (small strip around the edge of the
top and back, Jeff) the bridge (where the strings end, Jeff) and even an entire
fretboard (where you put your fingers, Jeff).  The pictures of these instruments
always pique my interest, and I thought that an ivory bridge would look pretty
interesting on that redwood.  Here are 4 shots:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/29635566727/in/dateposted-public/

I can get the proper size piece of fossil ivory for between $300 and $500, so
that’s out.  Poking around I came up with this for $20:

https://guitarpartsandmore.com/productCategory.php?Resin-
Ivory-S-trade-S-Grade-Knife-Handle-
Blocks-125">https://guitarpartsandmore.com/productCategory.php?Resin-
Ivory-S-trade-S-Grade-Knife-Handle-Blocks-125

I wrote them and they wrote back and the name was David Warther with an address
of Dover Ohio. We lived a couple hours away from Dover and I remembered my dad
taking my brother and me to the Warther Museum there in the late 50’s.  It was a
building about the size of a 2 car garage and it was full of hand carved steam
locomotives and cars in walnut, ebony and ivory.  He flipped a switch and all of
the wheels started spinning with all of the drive gear working away.  He said
they were all done with a knife, no power tools or even a lathe for the boilers
- and one of the boilers was probably 3” diameter and 24” long.  As a 10 years
old, my jaw hit the floor and is still not fully back in place.

There was a funny looking tree type of thing and he started to explain it.
While he was talking he pulled out a little piece of wood about the size of a
clothes pin and made a pair of pliers by stabbing and slitting, opened and
closed them, and then gave it to my brother.  There were no chips or shavings.
He explained that the “pliers tree” started as a big piece of wood that he split
and stabbed and opened, then split and stabbed and opened the jaws, then split
and stabbed and opened those jaws until everything got smaller and smaller and
looked like a tree - the whole thing could be closed back up again to the
original size

I asked the current Mr. Warther if this was the same family and he said he was
his grandfather and that he watched him make thousands of pliers and give them
to people, mostly kids.  Here is a good story about the place.  There is a
picture down the page of the “pliers tree” , and also of the knife works that
they have going

http://here4now.typepad.com/here4now/2012/09/dover-oh-warther-museum.html

In the story it says he made 750,000 pairs of pliers.  I gave this same story
about 15 years ago here, but the coincidence of running into it again struck me.

Does any one have another idea for a piece of faux-ivory 1” X 6” X 3/8”

If you are on the East Coast, good luck this week, and stay dry.

Ed Minch
266475 scott grandstaff <scottg@s...> 2018‑09‑09 Re: Carving
When I was making a little music box one time I used serious old growth 
fir (like your redwood) for the soundboard.
It was a little soundboard so I could experiment easily.
I guessed what I thought might be a correct thickness,......... 
dullsville.  It could barely be heard at all.
I thinned it out a lot and it got better. More and it was better yet

  I finally took it as thin as I dared, and wow, that little box just 
came alive.
My conclusion, old growth is so much harder and stronger that less of it 
makes a sparkling instrument

I have tried to find fake ivory too and didn't do any better than you.
Its expensive and bigger pieces moreso
    yours scott

-- 
*******************************
    Scott Grandstaff
    Box 409 Happy Camp, Ca  96039
    scottg@s...
    http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/
    http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/hpages/index.html
266473 Bill Webber <ol2lrus@v...> 2018‑09‑09 Re: Carving
Ed,

Try contacting these people.

https://www.cuestik.com/store/product.asp?DEPARTMENT_ID=191&ITEM_ID=6128

They show rectangular pieces but no pricing for it..

Bill W.
Nottingham, PA
Woodworkers visit me at http://billwebber.galootcentral.com/
266476 John Ruth <johnrruth@h...> 2018‑09‑09 Re: Carving
Ed, Bill, and other galoots looking for ivory substitutes:

Doing a Bing search on “Elfloryn” turned up the source, in Germany:

https://www.elforyn.de/en/elforyn/ivory-grained/1621/elforyn-slabs

Also found negative comments on the product in relation to the inconsistency of
the “grained” version. (Nothing negative found regarding the un-grained
version.)
One negative comment complained that it failed to mimic real ivory when tested
with ultraviolet light! (So, it’s a failure for fakery?)

Much more interesting is it’s modulus of elasticity, which might have relevance
to its use as a guitar bridge.  I know NOTHING of guitars; does the material of
the bridge have any effect on sound?

In any case, I want to make the general comment that, once again, the Porch has
brought me a solution to a tool restoration / tool building need.  The knowledge
base here is amazing!

John Ruth
In Metuchen, NJ, where the memory of SuperStorm Sandy is still vivid.

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 9, 2018, at 12:11 PM, Bill Webber mailto:ol2lrus@v...">mailto:ol2lrus@v...>> wrote:

Ed,

Try contacting these people.

https://www.cuestik.com/store/product.asp?DEPARTMENT_ID=191&ITEM_ID=6128

They show rectangular pieces but no pricing for it..

Bill W.
Nottingham, PA
Woodworkers visit me at http://billwebber.galootcentral.com/

On 9/9/2018 11:38 AM, Ed Minch wrote:
GGGG

Does any one have another idea for a piece of faux-ivory 1” X 6” X 3/8”

If you are on the East Coast, good luck this week, and stay dry.

Ed Minch




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OldTools is a mailing list catering to the interests of hand tool
aficionados, both collectors and users, to discuss the history, usage,
value, location, availability, collectibility, and restoration of
traditional handtools, especially woodworking tools.

To change your subscription options:
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To read the FAQ:
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266477 Ed Minch <ruby1638@a...> 2018‑09‑09 Re: Carving
John

A guitar bridge's most important characteristic is it’s density/weight - it
flexes the guitar top.  Those in the know (not me) would like to have about
30-35 grams of weight, and that becomes a factor when designing a bridge.
Another is its hardness, because it is transferring sound, so that would be the
biggest potential negative for me.  The supplier says that Titebond glue will
hold it to the redwood top just fine.

Thanks for the (re)search
Ed Minch
266492 Kirk Eppler <eppler.kirk@g...> 2018‑09‑10 Re: Carving
I have heard Tagua Nut is an option, but not sure it's big enough.  Maybe
other sources can do bigger

https://www.woodcraft.com/products/tagua-nuts-5-piece?gclid=EAIaIQobChM
I4avZi5av3QIVA6vsCh1BfgWTEAQYASABEgI9DvD_BwE">https://www.woodcraft.com/products
/tagua-
nuts-5-piece?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4avZi5av3QIVA6vsCh1BfgWTEAQYASABEgI9DvD_BwE

Kirk in HMB, CA
266493 John Ruth <johnrruth@h...> 2018‑09‑10 Re: Carving
Bill,

I have NOTHING as nice as that!
Great job!

Currently thinking about how I will replace the missing half of the ivory sole
of a carriagemaker's curved rabbet from the tool chest of a "great-great uncle
by marriage"  I think this Elforyn material will fill the bill.

John Ruth
267519 "Joseph Sullivan" <joe@j...> 2019‑01‑05 Re: Carving
Ed said:

Does any one have another idea for a piece of faux-ivory 1” X 6” X 3/8”

END SNIP

Ed, still catching up from earlier in the year.  As to ivory etc., how about the
portion of a pair of antlers where it comes out of the head?  It is white, very
dense, very carvable, and one could get about the right sized piece if one
looked around.  I may have one the right size, but even if I don't, I'd be glad
to send you a chunk as a sample.  As it happens, I bought an industrial trash
can full of deer and elk antlers for about $50 at a garage sale about 5 years
ago and am using them to make sconces and a chandelier for the new quarters I am
finishing slowly at my north woods property (or so  runs the plan).
Alternatively, a length of antler could be shaped.  It really is a lot like
ivory.

If you'd like to try a chunk, send your postal address privately ad I'll get
some off to you.

Cheers!

J
267521 "yorkshireman@y..." <yorkshireman@y...> 2019‑01‑05 Re: Carving
You could try

https://www.axminster.co.uk/alternative-ivory-horn-tortoise-shell-
ax19609">https://www.axminster.co.uk/alternative-ivory-horn-tortoise-shell-
ax19609 <https://www.axminster.co.uk/alternative-ivory-horn-
tortoise-shell-ax19609">https://www.axminster.co.uk/alternative-ivory-horn-
tortoise-shell-ax19609>


Even though they are ‘turners’ blanks, a trip through a band saw will yield
150mm x 50mm  and  a few narrower items.


I purchased some to make replacement drawer pulls for an item I was restoring,
and despite myself, I was impressed with the finished item.  I had some
difficulty aging it to match in to an original, but that wouldn’t be an issue
for you on new work.


I guess you can find similar over on the left bank, but I can operate galoot
shipping from here - be like old times.


Richard Wilson
Yorkshireman and shipper to galoots everywhere.

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