Care and cleaning

Treat your scrimshawed ivory as you would any fine jewelry. Do not get it wet unnecessarily, because the inks, especially colors, may fade. Keep your scrimshaw out of bright sun; this dries and cracks the ivory and may fade certain colored inks. Detergents, shampoo, heavily chlorinated water, and jewelry cleaning solutions should be avoided, as they turn the ivory surface dull and remove the etched lines. Dirt and oils may be removed with a cotton swab moistened in rubbing alcohol and wiped gently over the surface. Do not scrub, as this will remove some ink from the fine lines. I use a light coat of warm beeswax rubbed into the ivory to preserve the scrimshaw and keep the ivory from drying and aging too fast. Waxing should be repeated when the ivory is cleaned, because the alcohol removes it. If you treat your scrimshaw with care, it will give you many years of pleasure and may become a treasured heirloom.

What is scrimshaw?

Scrimshaw -- Painstaking etching on ivory or bone -- is one of only a few indigenous American crafts. Practiced for centuries by the Inuit and other native groups along the Northwest Coast, it was adopted by the Yankee whalemen of the early 1800's. Two- to five-year voyages quickly became monotonous, so the whalemen turned to working with baleen, whale teeth, and jawbones, all of which were in abundant supply -- in fact, on many ships, whale teeth were part of the pay, and were often traded to shopkeepers in port for goods or services. Common subjects included whaling scenes, ships, women, and scenes copied from magazines of the day. The origin of the word is obscure; one interesting etymology is a Dutch phrase meaning "to waste one's time!" The term "scrimshaw" also applies to carved or pierced bone or ivory, since much of the whalemen's work was carved rather than etched.

History & Materials

Scrimshaw is derived from the shipboard practice of sailors creating common tools, and on whaling ships the byproducts of whales were readily available. The term originally referred to the making of these tools, only later referring to works of art created by whalers in their spare time. Whale bone is ideally suited for the task, as it is easy to work and was very plentiful.

The development of scrimshaw took off after the market for whale teeth, which was sought by Chinese traders for use in the Pacific Islands (for example the Fijian market for tabua), was flooded with teeth after a narrative by an American sailor, Captain David Porter, revealed both the market and the source of the teeth. Around this time is the earliest authenticated pictorial piece of scrimshaw (1817). The tooth was inscribed with the following This is the tooth of a sperm whale that was caught near the Galapagos islands by the crew of the ship Adam [of London], and made 100 barrels of oil in the year 1817.[2]

Other sea animal ivories were also used as alternatives for rarer whale teeth. Walrus tusks, for example, may have been acquired in trade from indigenous walrus hunters.

Scrimshaw essentially was a leisure activity for whalers. Because the work of whaling was very dangerous at the best of times, whalers were unable to work at night. This gave them a great deal more free time than other sailors. A lot of scrimshaw was never signed and a great many of the pieces are anonymous. Early scrimshaw was done with crude sailing needles, and the movement of the ship, as well as the skill of the artist, produced drawings of varying levels of detail and artistry. Originally, candle black, soot or tobacco juice would have been used to bring the etched design into view. Today's artists use finer tools in various sizes, mostly borrowed from the dental industry. Some scrimshanders ink their work with more than one color, and restrained polychromed examples of this art are now popular.

Originating in an era when sperm whales were initially plentiful only to be hunted to near collapse, scrimshaw no longer is an artform utilizing an easily renewable animal resource, but one that is susceptible to contraband. Now, the Endangered Species Act and international conventions restrict the harvest and sale of ivory to try to reverse the scarcity of ivory-bearing animals.

  • Though there are sources of ivory that are sanctioned and legal, poachers in Africa and other continents where elephants are an endangered species still kill for their ivory, Elephant ivory has been regulated since 1976 by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and selling African ivory has been prohibited since 1989.
  • 19th and 20th century scrimshaw, scrimshaw crafted before 1989 (elephant) or before 1973 (sperm whale ivory, walrus ivory etc.) is legal. It is prohibited after that year for commercial import in the U.S. under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
  • Additionally, walrus tusks bearing the Alaska State walrus ivory registration tag, and post-law walrus ivory that has been carved or scrimshawed by a native Alaskan Indian (Eskimo), is legally available.
  • Finally, any ivory considered ancient, such as 10,000 to 40,000 year old mammoth ivory, is completely unrestricted in its sale or possession.

Scrimshanders and collectors acquire legal whale teeth and marine tusks through estate sales, auctions and antiqure dealers. To avoid illegal ivory, collectors and artists check provenance and deal only with other established and reputable dealers. Scrimshaw that is found to have been illegally sourced may be seized by customs officials worldwide, dramatically loses value and is very hard to re-sell, as the limited channels through which collectible scrimshaw passes serves as a check on unscrupulous persons. As with any other fine art form, it is usually possible for experienced museums, auction houses or other experts to perceive a fake.

Wednesday 6 January 2010

How to Polish Bull Horns


ds_johnca10807Contributor
By J. Edward Casteele
eHow Contributing Writer
(0 Ratings)

Bull horns can be used for decoration and also function as a powder horn or other container. A smooth, luxurious finish on the horn is desired regardless of what it is being used for. The method by which you polish a bull horn depends largely on whether the horn is fresh or old; older bull horns have developed a patina, a thin film caused by oxidation from exposure to the air. As the patina protects the horn from more severe oxidation and gives it an antiqued beauty, you must take care not to remove the patina from older horns when trying to restore a beautiful polish.

    New Horn

  1. Step1

    Scrape the bull horn lightly with a razor blade to remove any rough spots from the horn. Do not apply downward force while doing this; lay the blade on its side, and allow it to move lightly over the surface of the horn.

  2. Step2

    Rub the horn down lightly with a steel wool pad to buff any rough areas that the razor blade missed. Do not apply excess pressure to the horn with the steel wool.

  3. Step3

    Begin buffing the horn with sandpaper. Start with a rough grade, move to a medium grade and finish with a fine grade. Do not apply excess pressure to the horn, but increase the pressure slightly with each change in grade. Wet the bull horn, and wipe it dry with a clean cotton or canvas cloth in between grades.

  4. Step4

    Apply a paste floor, surfboard, or automotive wax to polish the bull horn, using a clean cotton cloth to buff the wax to a shine.

    5. Antique Horn

  5. Step1

    Mix a mild detergent or soap with warm water. Using a sponge, use the water to lightly wet the bull horn. Make sure that the horn is thoroughly damp but is not exceedingly wet.

  6. Step2

    Wipe the horn with the sponge to remove any excess dirt that may be clinging to the bull horn. Place the sponge back into the water, and wring it out to clean it; then re-wet the sponge, and wipe the horn down again.

  7. Step3

    Place toothpaste on a cloth, and wipe down the horn. Toothpaste contains a very mild abrasive that is gentle enough to not damage teeth, so it can remove additional dirt or oils while lightly buffing the surface of the horn.

  8. Step4

    Use the sponge and water once again to clean the bull horn and remove any toothpaste that might remain on its surface. Wet and wring the sponge again, then re-wet it to complete one last cleaning of the horn.

  9. Step5

    Wipe the horn dry with a clean cotton or canvas cloth. Apply moderate force when wiping so as to further buff the natural shine of the horn and its patina.

  10. Step6

    Use lanolin or a paste floor wax to add additional shine to the horn if desired, making sure that you rub the horn well to remove any excess wax or lanolin after you have applied it.
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