Fossil ivory work?

[maxtheaxe]

I was thinking about trying a fossil ivory saddle on my Larrivee L-10 Custom, but it occurs to me that, being fossilized, ie, stone, it might be a bit trickier to grind it for final fitting or the apices for compensation or give it a polish. Seems like it might be rather brittle and easy to spoil...and it isn't exactly cheap.

Does regular sandpaper work with this stuff or would I need to use some industrial diamond-impregnated tool? How do you guys who are high-level pro luthiers handle this stuff?

Incidentally, I was a bench optician for many years and used to grind bevels on glass spectacle lenses by hand to fit them into the frames, but this seems like a whole other level of careful-don't-mess-it-up!

Thanks!

[JayBee1404]

Originally Posted by maxtheaxe

I was thinking about trying a fossil ivory saddle on my Larrivee L-10 Custom, but it occurs to me that, being fossilized, ie, stone, it might be a bit trickier to grind it for final fitting or the apices for compensation or give it a polish. Seems like it might be rather brittle and easy to spoil...and it isn't exactly cheap.

It isn’t actually fossilised, therefore it’s not ‘stone’. ‘Fossilised’ is a misnomer, a term used to denote that it comes from long-dead animals and may have taken on mineral deposits and perhaps colouration from the ground it was buried in. But, to all intents and purposes, it’s still Ivory.

Originally Posted by maxtheaxe

Does regular sandpaper work with this stuff or would I need to use some industrial diamond-impregnated tool? How do you guys who are high-level pro luthiers handle this stuff?

Yes, it sands just as easily as bone. Walrus tends to be a little harder than mammoth, in my experience, but you won’t need diamond tools, Jack-hammers, etc. to work it, just sandpaper, maybe a file if you work that way and, importantly, a good dust-mask so you don’t breathe in the dust.

The usual disclaimers apply......IMHO, YMMV etc.

[redir]

Yup. I was a geologist in a former life. What happens with an actual fossil is a process called replacement. That's when the actual organic matter is replaced by inorganic matter, rocks, minerals and so on. That is not what they are talking about with 'fossilized' ivory. That stuff is only about 5-20k years old typically but can be much older. IOW it's still bone though it's weathered and can take on colors from the minerals surrounding it as it was buried.

[martingitdave]

I'm embarrassed to admit that I purchased one of these. It was essentially snake oil in my opinion. The inconsistency of the material really is not conducive to sound transfer. You are better off with a high quality bone saddle.

[maxtheaxe]

Thanks for the clarifications on the material; when I hear the word 'fossilized', like most people I tend to think of stone but I see that, while there would be some mineral replacement/inclusion, it really wouldn't become actual stone after a matter of a few thousand years as opposed to a few million years.

I'm not too worried about inconsistencies in the material, as I plan to get this from Colosi if I really decide to go that way, and I know for a fact that he personally cherry-picks his pieces for this very reason and regardless of material.

At a tangent to this...I wonder if actual stone has ever been tried as a saddle material. It would probably result in very bright tone, which could be a good or bad thing. Sure would look interesting and upscale, though...Malachite anyone? Lapis Lazuli?

[Go4aRyd]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

I'm embarrassed to admit that I purchased one of these. It was essentially snake oil in my opinion. The inconsistency of the material really is not conducive to sound transfer. You are better off with a high quality bone saddle.

My experience as well. Love them for pins though.

[DCCougar]

Originally Posted by maxtheaxe

I'm not too worried about inconsistencies in the material, as I plan to get this from Colosi if I really decide to go that way, and I know for a fact that he personally cherry-picks his pieces for this very reason and regardless of material....

I wouldn't be worried either. My now-sold but still rare Epiphone Masterbilt EF500RAVS that I bought used happened to come with a 'fossilized" walrus ivory saddle and pins. The saddle seemed free of flaws. I can't say that was the sole cause, but that guitar sounded exceptional.