Can you clean scrimshaw?

Most dirt and oils may be removed by simple dusting or a gentle wiping with a clean, soft cotton cloth. Stubborn dirt can be removed with a cotton swab moistened in rubbing alcohol and wiped gently over the surface. Whatever you do, DO NOT SCRUB!

scrimshawstudio.com - Scrimshaw FAQ - The Scrimshaw Studio

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Each piece of ivory has its own reactive potential and therefore the following information is for informational purposes only and is offered without warranties or guarantees of any kind. The information presented here is based solely on Mr. Stevens own testing and experience. SAFETY NOTE This procedure utilizes phosphoric acid. Always wear eye protection and plastic or latex gloves when handling acids. Also, always pour acid into water and never water into acid. Pouring water into acid can cause a boiling and splashing reaction.

Softening Ivory

Make a solution of water and phosphoric acid with a combined specific gravity of 1.130. You will need a hydrometer and a hydrometer test jar (tube) for this procedure. Let the ivory soak in this solution until it loses its opaqueness and takes on a semi-transparent or translucent appearance. If soaking a thin panel, the ivory may want to curl in the liquid. Prevent this by placing a weight, like a heavy clear drinking glass, on the ivory while it soaks. Remove from the solution and wash thoroughly in clean cold water to stop the acid reaction and then dry thouroughly. Your ivory will be flexible and possess the approximate hardness of thick leather or soggy thick leather if soaked for an extended length of time. The ivory will gradually harden with exposure to the air, but immersion in simmering hot water will restore its softness and flexibility as long as the ivory has not been properly dried yet in decrepitated salt.

Actual effects of this procedure:

The following information is based on a 1/16th inch thick panel of ivory that is 1 1/2” wide and 2 1/2” long. Variations will exist for ivory pieces at different thicknesses and sizes, though the variations will be minor unless the ivory is very thick. A 1/16th inch thick panel of ivory soaked for 5 hours becomes flexible enough to wrap around a 1/16th inch diameter rod. Soaked for 7 hours, the ivory is so flexible, it can actually be folded back onto itself without splitting. Ivory soaked for 5 hours reacts to carving tools like thick soggy leather and spreads badly as the carving tools are pressed into or through it. For carving purposes, soaking for only 2-to-3 hours softens the ivory but leaves enough strength in the ivory structure for more accurate carving with less “spreading” of the ivory as the tool pushes into or through the material. Any serious softening will cause the ivory to spread at least a little under the pressure of a carving tool, so care does need to be taken when carving softened ivory. Softening an ivory surface slightly by using a little water is more often a method used for carving as it does not cause the ivory to spread under tools and if dried right away, will usually cause no permanent damage to the internal structure of the ivory.

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After soaking, the ivory retains its softness and flexibility for approximately 24 hours before it starts to stiffen. At the end of that 24-hour period, the ivory will still not be hard and remains flexible, just not quite as flexible as it was right after soaking. The ivory remains fairly flexible and will not regain its original hardness and structural integrity until after it is properly dried in decrepitated salt for at least 24 hours. It can take up to 48 hours to harden completely if the ivory was soaked for a more extended period of time.

Drying Ivory After Softening:

To restore ivory to its original color and hardness after softening, wrap the ivory in a sheet of white paper and cover it with dry, decrepitated salt and let it set covered for 24-to-48 hours, depending on how long the ivory was soaked. Clamp thin panels of ivory wrapped in paper between flat pieces of wood or other stiff material while drying to keep the ivory from re-hardening in wavy curves.

Making decrepitated salt

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Method #1

Spread common table salt out on a baking pan and dry it at very low heat in the kitchen oven until it loses its crystal appearance and takes on a dense opaque white look. Since this method takes a while, leave the oven door partially open to prevent the oven from getting too hot inside and burning the salt.

Method #2

Spread a 1/2" deep layer of Epsom Salt out on a baking pan. Bake in the kitchen oven at 400º F for an hour and it will lose half its water content and be as good as dried table salt as a desiccant. At 480º F for two hours the Epsom Salt will lose virtually all its water weight and becomes one of the best desiccants available. Put into fine-weave cloth bags, or sealed containers. Remove as much air as possible from the containers when sealing or closing. Weigh your full containers. When the containers gain 25-to-50% more than their original weight, the salt has rehydrated and it is time to recharge the Epsom Salt’s desiccating ability by baking it again. SAFETY NOTE All Epsom Salt you buy is fully hydrated. The reason is because if you add water to dried Epsom Salt, the salt will get VERY HOT. So be careful to not spill water on it or place it in direct contact with wet ivory. It is important to dry your ivory very well before wrapping it in white paper and covering it with the dried Epsom Salt.

scrimshawstudio.com - Scrimshaw FAQ - The Scrimshaw Studio

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