Thanks to those who responded to my query about using boar tusk like
ivory, but I guess I didn’t articulate my question well. What I
actually wanted to know was whether these pig teeth would be
functional for use like ivory–has anyone carved one? does it carve
and look like ivory? Are tyhey hollow in the middle, leaving little to
actually carve? Obviously, experimentation will answer all, but I love
to learn from other people’s experience when I can. Thanks!
–Noel
Rex & Gabrielle Merten Hi Noel, The only boar’s tusk I worked with
became flakey. It seemed to dry out and splinter away in brittle
flakes. It was quite hollow too which didn’t leave much thickness to
work with. Hope this helps. Kind regards, Rex from Oz
Noel, No, they dont carve like ivory. Yes they are hollow in the
middle. You need to carve them using diamond or carbide tools.
Closer to the root the bigger the hollow. They are more suitable to
scrimshaw style work.
PS if you have any extra to sell, we could use 2 upper & 2 lower .
Sincerely,
D.W
reliance forge
Noel, I didn’t see your post on boar tusks, but did see this one. My
experience with West Coast ferral(spelling) pigs in Mendocino County.
They are HARD !! A friend of mine does schrimshaw and I got a couple
of nice tusks and gave them to him. A couple of days later we saw
each other and he said the “scratching” tool just slipped off the
surface and didn’t cut at all. So I don’t think they would be good
for carving.
Also, they are hollow and they tend to crack.
Hope this gives you a bit of info. even though it may not be what you
want to hear.
John Dach
boar tusk is coated with enamel like your own teeth…very hard. FYI
hippo tusk is also enamel coated, but can be ground through to reveal
a softer, thicker, core with properties nearer elephant ivory. -Brooks
Pig tusk is a pretty good substitute for Ivory. It’s pretty solid
until you get down near the root, and the color is on a par with
ivory. There isn’t that sheen that real ivory picks up, but you
don’t have to hurt an elephant to get it.
Ron Charlotte – Gainesville, FL
@Ron_Charlotte1 OR afn03234@afn.org
The one’s I’ve had access to came from pigs crossbred with wild pigs
and domestic pigs, and the tusks were pretty robust especially toward
the end of the tusk. The regular teeth, do behave as you describe,
as does most porcine skeletal material.
Ron Charlotte – Gainesville, FL
@Ron_Charlotte1 OR afn03234@afn.org
A propos of nothing, you can imagine my amazement to find TWO sets of
African Warthog tusks at a local garage sale yesterday 1 It turned
out that the seller, who was a biologist, had traveled to Kenya
thirty years ago and had acquired them there in conjunction with an
academic project. Having observed Warthogs in the wild in Africa I
recognized them for what they were immediately and, of course, knew
that one could not legally get them through customs today. They are
incredibly hard and heavy as they would have to be in order to
survive the grubbing that Warthogs are constantly doing. ( Not to
mention the fact that they are formidable weapons !) Ron at Mills Gem
Co. Los Osos, CA.