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Joined: Dec 2008
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Sidelock
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Sidelock
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Thanks Joe. Now I have images of wild elephants passing bottles of baby oil back and forth. "Go easy on the Johnson and Johnson's, Horton. The next shipment from Nairobi isn't due in 'til next week."

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Sidelock
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Here's an example of what I do with some of my pieces. The ebony elephant is one of a pair brought back from what is now Nigeria by my Great-Great-Grandfather in the late 1890s. It shows the results of over 100 years of neglect and generations of children's abuse. You're looking at the good side, the other tusk is missing as is the other eye and a few toenails.

I'll shape other ivory pieces to replace the missing ones, and repair the various cracks and missing ebony with ebony scraps & epoxy. I restored the other elephant last year and swapped it to my brother for this one and now I'm restoring it.

Curiously enough, these elephants and a few other touristy-type gewgaws were obviously made for trade to the European element. He also brought back a pair of carved & painted wooden plaques, one showing a tiger's head & the other showing an American Indian chief's head, and a Birmingham-made butcher knife with a locally-made sheath.

Elephants and a trade knife I can understand, even in the dreaded Bight of Benin's Slave Coast, but where oh where did that tiger and red Indian come from? Had to be from some local Asian Indian or Portuguese trading outlet. By the 1890s the coastal slave traders were mostly gone (slave routes moved to the East coast) and the inland Ashantis had been recently chastised into submission, so things had become at least partially-civilized around the area of Cape Coast Castle.

Anyway, the ebony elephants have an interesting family history and are well worth restoration using authentic materials as much as possible.
Regards, Joe


You can lead a man to logic but you can't make him think. NRA Life since 1976. God bless America!
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Sidelock
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Here are some more ideas. The elephant ivory piece shown is now a hexagon shape and will become the handle for the cleaning rod in a cased set. I'm still cogitating, but it will probably be carved into something like the tooth on the left.

IMO using ivory on a rifle is a risky proposition, aesthetically. I really like it better when used in a cased set or on other small items or as inserts within a larger application, such as a presentation oval with scrimshaw initials or a thumb plate on the wrist of a muzzleloader.

My 'Mother-In-Law' varminter has an ivory grip cap insert but I'm not satisfied with the overall look, it's far too light-colored to suit me.

Regards, Joe

PS: RDH45, my offer still stands, if you want to carve your ivory I'll be happy to lend you my own source books and if you want to trade it off I'll see if I have anything that interests you. I have some orphan hippo and warthog ivory myself if you're interested, plus a little gun stuff (grin).

Last edited by J.D.Steele; 03/21/11 04:31 PM.

You can lead a man to logic but you can't make him think. NRA Life since 1976. God bless America!
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RHD45 Offline OP
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Thanks again and I sent a pm. Bob

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