First attempt at Scrimshaw

[Ohioan]

The horn was given to me, so I wanted to try some scrimin'.

[rich pierce]

There are a lot of original horns that were done just like that one.  What are you using for a scrimming tool?  I've used a lot of different techniques and recently settled on using a very large masonry nail ground to a needle point.  It is stiff enough that it does not chatter at all.  I've used knives of several types including little custom cutters I've made but they don't "do corners" like my masonry nail does.

[Ohioan]

That's what I'm using.  It's ground on four side down to a point.

I used a grinder to get it rough shaped, then I used my Norton Water Stones to sharpen it up to a mirror polish. 

I refresh the edge quite a bit with a extra fine stone.

I wonder if a three sided point would work better.  I'm going to do some experimenting with points I believe.

[Randy Hedden]

Hey Guys,

I have always been told that sailors during the 18th and 19th centuries used a sharpened sail makers needle to scrimshaw whales teeth. I don't know, I have never done any scrimshaw on a whale's tooth. On the other hand I believe that the majority of 18th century scrimshawed powder horns, at least the ones I have seen, were cut with a knife or knife like tool. Therefore, I have always used a knife like tool to scrimshaw with. Well not always, when I started doing scrimshawed horns 30 or 35 years ago I tried needles, scribes, and those nasty, easily broken, thin bladed Exacto knives that so many recommend, but I quickly found that a small bladed knife like tool worked best for me as well as probably being more correct for doing 18th century scrimshawed horns, It always seemed to me that a needle or scribe wanted to follow the grain of the horn while a knife would cut where the line was, regardless of the grain.

Rich,

If your knife scrimshaw tool is made right you won't have any trouble with the corners. When I get to a corner I just lift the blade up so just the very point of the tool is engaged and I can scoot right around any corners  or tight curves in the design.  On the other hand if I engage the entire blade, or at least a good portion of the blade, I find it tracks better when cutting a long straight line.

Randy Hedden

www.harddogrifles.com
 

 

[Ohioan]

knife like tool?  pictures??

i would think the blade would need to be very small so you can get your hand down close for greater control.

[Tim Crosby]

If your knife scrimshaw tool is made right you won't have any trouble with the corners. When I get to a corner I just lift the blade up so just the very point of the tool is engaged and I can scoot right around any corners  or tight curves in the design.  On the other hand if I engage the entire blade, or at least a good portion of the blade, I find it tracks better when cutting a long straight line.

Randy Hedden

www.harddogrifles.com
 

 

Not sure how to word this question but here goes: On your knife, if the blade is 2" long and 1 3/4" is sharpened. How much of it do you have in contact with the horn, just the tip 1/16, 1/8, 1/4" or does it depend on the design? How long is the blade? I would think if it was very long it would be hard to hold unless you taped it up. Always looking for a better way or a way to have better control, right now I use a ground down dental pick and a swivel knife.

Thanks, Tim C

[Randy Hedden]

Okay, here is a little bit blurry picture of my main scrimshaw tool. The blade is made from about 3/32" music wire. The actual blade is approximately 3/16" long along the sharp edge. I simply heated and forged the wire out and then ground the end to shape and sharpened it. With this tool I can make various depth/width lines by pressing harder or lighter on the tool. With the short length across the blade edge and the shape of the blade I can tilt the blade up on its tip to go around a corner or any other detail like a very tight curve or small circle.  It is mounted in a 3/8" diameter piece of dowel. The metal protrudes from the dowel approximately 1/2". I have a piece of hard foam rubber around the very end of the dowel for a better, less finger fatiguing grip. I hold the tool exactly as I hold a pencil when writing. I don't use a bean bag to support the horn, but hold it in my left hand with a non-slip glove with the thumb cut out. While holding  the horn in my hand I can and do place my gloveless thumb behind the blade to prevent slipping of the tool and overruns. I am usually able to do an entire horn, including small light shading lines with this tool.

Randy Hedden

www.harddogrifles.com

[Randy Hedden]

This horn was entirely scrimshawed with a regular belt knife while sitting around a weeks worth of evening campfires on a canoe trip.

Randy Hedden

www.harddogrifles.com

[Ohioan]

That took looks sort of like a skew chisel.  ive seen blade similar to that at least.  very interesting.  Thanks for posting pictures, i'll have to try that

That horn is really nice.  I need to do some more research on primitive horns.

[Randy Hedden]

That took looks sort of like a skew chisel.  ive seen blade similar to that at least.  very interesting.  Thanks for posting pictures, i'll have to try that

Zach,

It is a lot like a skew chisel only smaller. Easy to make also. It is also used differently.

Randy Hedden

www.harddogrifles.com

[Ohioan]

did you aneal the wire first then harden it after shaping?

[Randy Hedden]

did you aneal the wire first then harden it after shaping?

Zach,

I am not sure it needs to be annealed, it shouldn't. I just heated it to red in my forge and pounded the end out in a kind of tapered flat and then ground it to shape on a grinder. Then I heat treated it.

Randy Hedden

www.harddogrifles.com

[rich pierce]

After seeing that hunting knife-crimmed horn, it ooks to me like it's the guy using the tool, not the tool, that counts most.

[Randy Hedden]

After seeing that hunting knife-crimmed horn, it ooks to me like it's the guy using the tool, not the tool, that counts most.

Rich,

I hope I didn't mislead anyone with the picture of this horn. I didn't make the horn or scrimshaw it. My friend Todd Daggett made the horn shortly before leaving for an extended canoe trip on the Great Lakes around Michigan. Todd then scrimshawed the horn with his belt knife while sitting around the evening campfires.

I posted the photos just to show what can be achieved with the simplest of tools in less than ideal conditions. To the best of my knowledge this is the first scrimshaw Todd had done. Todd is an accomplished blacksmith and knife and hawk maker, but he does dabble in leather work and other black
powder related crafts.

Randy Hedden

www.harddogrifles.com

[Randy Hedden]

After seeing that hunting knife-crimmed horn, it ooks to me like it's the guy using the tool, not the tool, that counts most.

Rich,

It certainly does help if one has a little art talent.

Randy Hedden

www.harddogrifles.com

[Tim Crosby]

 Randy,
  Thanks for posting the pic of the knife you use. I'll make one up and give 'er a try.

Tim C.

[davec2]

Tim, Ohio:

The tools that work best depend quite a bit on the size of the work you are doing and the material you are working on.  What works on horn does not always work on elephant ivory or bone or whale ivory.  The following is obviously on whale ivory.  The tooth is about 4 inches tall.  The image is fairly large and whale ivory doesn't have anywhere near as much "grain" to it as horn does and it has none of the porosity of bone.  A scribe, like a sharpened sail makers needle works well for most of the lines.  I did this tooth at sea 30 years ago and the only tool used was the sail makers needle.



The next one is an engraving on elephant ivory and the ivory plaque is about 1 3/8" x 2 1/2".  The elephant ivory is softer than the whale ivory and responds well to a knife graver, scribe, and tiny knife point.  You can use larger tools on a piece like this because the image is so large.  This engraving is also 30 years old.



The next image is done on horn - it is very soft, very grainy and the consistency of the horn material can change drastically all over its surface.  Some places it is really hard and flinty, others it will be gummy, and still others it will chip and flake.  I often change the type of tool I am using as the characteristics of the horn change in different areas of the design.



The next photo shows several items of gold jewelry that I made for my wife and daughters.  The largest pendant is only about 3/4" top to bottom.  These are whale and elephant ivory.  The images are very small (the ivory part of the earings is only 1/4" top to bottom) so the tools need to be very small as well.



The tools I use, mostly, are shown below.  From left to right they are, a small square graver (for heavy lines), a knife graver (for thinner lines), a carving knife for larger images or longer straight lines, a carbide scribe / burnisher for finer lines and to help correct errors, a replaceable point scribe into whick I place dental burs of various types (very handy), an oral surgery scalpel for very small knife work, a sail makers needle, and a surgical scalpel with replaceable blades for fine shading.

[Tim Crosby]

 Outstanding work Dave, like always absolutely beautiful. Thanks for the info and the photos.

Tim C.

[mdtnhunter]

Beautiful work!!

[Brian]

Most Impressive!