I ask, because as part of my long and winding road to pipemakerdom, I am learning the little fiddly non-lathe-and-strange-tools-requiring-aspects of the art such as concocting resin-based imitation ivory and experimenting with various pigments and fillers to try and emulate the antique, swirled-grain look of the ivory on my chanter.
In the process of my research I came across GPS in the UK and sent them an email re prices for rods of imitation ivory. Yesterday they emailed me back saying that they had just set up a stockist right here in sunny, sub-tropical Brisbane - a guy named Lazarides who also deals in exotic timbers - but his stuff won’t be arriving until next week.
So, after all that, does anyone know what the GPS stuff looks like? Is it plain white, no grain, the sort of stuff which when polished looks too much like plastic? Or is there a bit of ‘life’ to it.
David,
GPS is excellent.It has a nice grain in it ,and it is easy enough to work.I have used it for years.The one thing I suggest is use blunt tools,otherwise it catches the tool and shatters.Brasso is good for finishing it to get a cood shine.Hope that helps.
Stephen
Got some a few weeks ago and have turned 6 or 7 small bits, so I’m at the early stages in learning how to use it.
It’s a slightly off white colour and the “grain” is not evident unless you have a close look at it. I’m happy with how it has come out but there was a recent thread about alternatives to GPS.
Thanks David. When the Brisbane stock comes in I’ll get some Ivory rod, and some casien. But I have a particular look in mind that I’m trying to emulate and it’ll probably come down to mixing the pigments and filler myself to get it. I tried asking my pipemaker but he “couldn’t remember” :roll: He uses boxwood now - got fed up with resin.