Is it organic or some sort of plastic? If plastic, is it a special plastic or any white plastic?
Anything used in place of real ivory is articial ivory. Many use plastic, but there are some types of nuts that some have used. Also, there is mammoth ivory that can be used instead of elephant ivory. Customs agents claim to be able to tell the difference between all of these.
djm
It usually refers to a Plastic much like Derlin but white.
Alternative Ivory is a cast polyester material, they swirl different shades of white to give it a grain like ivory. Also there is tagua (sp) nuts that have the same ivory look. The problem with the nut is that it is pretty small in diameter, and shrinks after you turn it.
Jon
I got a pound or so of the tauga (sp) nuts. They are plenty big enough. I have some deer antlers that I am sending to Jon to make some test rings, slid them onto a pipe; dry them and see if they crack and wet them and see if they swell. I am also sending him a few of the (bigger) vegatible ivory nuts. Trouble right now is, my table saw motor will not start below freezing temperature. If it does not warm up soon, I’ll hand saw them. We are up to our arse in snow in West Virginia with continual white-outs. And then I have to keep my horses completely closed in the barn, and then my wife harrases me to keep firewood ahead in the basement so it will be dry. Then she get’s tired of being cooped up with me all day screeching on that ***** flute.
I will be ancious to know what happens with deer antler rings. I remember seeing old Scottich highland bagpipes with antler rings. I can find no reliable information re the vegatable ivory. I do have a ring that I turned and it does look nice, like real ivory. Many of the Meyer (German) style flutes have an ivory head and it seems that they are more likely to crack with the fully lined head. So it seems, from anadotal info. that real ivory is a risk. Right now, if I were using anything other than silver, I think I would use white delrin. I know from the polymer flutes that it is stable and nice looking. White delrin is chemically the same as black delrin, and is cheap and readilly available.
So Jon, be patient, the antlers are coming soon.
Anyone else wants a piece of antler to see how it turns, let me know.
Nelson
Thanks Nelson!
I will wait patiently… I forget that people have weather like that in other parts of the country! Of cource we are getting some rain, lightning, mud slides power failures, but just between when the sun isn’t shining.
the “alternitive Ivory” is kind of springy, I don’t think it does much to protect the wood as silver or Ivory would.
Jon
Balls !
Old ivory billiard balls are useful to make rings.