Scrimshaw tools

[MuskratMike]

I am going to take a stab at scrimshawing a horn depicting the creeks, buildings, cemetery, and nearby town of the area my family first settled in the very northwest corner of North Carolina in the mid-1700's.
What do you experts use to carve/scratch in the lines? I have an X-acto knife but the small diameter handle seems like it might be hard to use. Brand names and pictures would be appreciated.
Wish me luck. My ace in the hole is I have two friends who are expert hornets near by I can pick their brains.
Mike

[Daryl]

Maybe the 1/2" exacto blade handle would be better?

[Bob Gerard]

I use a nail stuck in a piece of dowel. Use a small file to keep a point with a burr on it. That’s all.




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[john bohan]

I made one from an old dental drill bit, just grind a point on it and I put mine in a small colltet glued into a handle. It's a much better tool than I am a scrimmer.

[Hungry Horse]

For fine lines, and crosshatching, I use the hook bill exacto  blade in the screwdriver type handle. For courser lines I use a steel point held in a mechanical drawing pencil. Remember scrimshaw is very much like pen, and ink, drawing. Depth and perspective is achieved by cross hatching of different widths.

Hungry Horse

[TDM]

Never knew what tools you guys were using for the horn work. Amazing. Such talent.

[aaronc]

I've got several from Coulter Precision. 98% of the time I use the black one, it has a fatter scribe on one end and a slimmer scribe on the other.  I'm also not an expert. A guy that used to post on here that goes by seebirds or something like that recommended them to me. I think his name is Mark Preston.


https://www.etsy.com/market/coulter_precision

[Tim Crosby]

 I don't carve any more but dental tools like this worked best for me. I'll send this one along with a horn. If I can find it I'll send you a little book on the art of carving too.
 
     Tim

 

[Gaeckle]

Did these with a broken pocket knife, John Plybon taught me how to use it

[rich pierce]

And all this time I was hoping special tools could make up for lack of talent on my part! 

[Bob Gerard]

And all this time I was hoping special tools could make up for lack of talent on my part! 

Rich, you're one of the most talented men on Earth.

[Jeff Murray]

I use a very small drill bit with the "drill" end stuck in a dowel and the blunt end shaped like a very small knife.  I keep it sharp using a stone.  Also flattened the "front" of the dowel for grip and so I can maintain the cutting edge on the stone accurately.  The small diameter drill makes features like very tight circles or "S" lettering a little easer to do.

[Nordnecker]

I tried to scrim one horn. It makes my hand ache just looking at these pictures. I don’t know how you guys enjoy doing it.

[davec2]

This is from an old post of mine 10 years ago now.......

I think you will find, if you try cutting with different tools, that many things will work for you.  Here is an assortment of tools I use for scrimshaw work on horn, bone, and ivory.  For many years, I did most of the work with a very large sail maker's needle (second from the right) stoned to very sharp triangular tip (it cuts easily in any direction.)  The other tools are used to make bolder or finer lines.  Conventional gravers, scribes, and surgical scalpels are all very useful, although some work better in horn than in whale or elephant ivory.  Try anything like these that is sharp.  You may find one thing that works better for you than another.  However, the 4th tool from the right is an aluminum handle with a collet arrangement at the tip to hold 3/32 " diameter dental burs.  It is easy to use and easy to replace the scribe end with various tools ....and can be had from jewelry supply houses.



Cutting done with a graver and scalpel on horn:



Cutting done with sail maker's needle on whale ivory: