MILLENNIUM TUSK - PHASE 1

June 19, 1997

How exciting! I can hardly believe how well things are going.

The tusk has been reduced to its most stable ivory. I've removed much of the bark and the extraneous layers to reveal a gorgeous interior. I've also made a few discoveries about the structure of the tusk itself. And the glue is everything it was made out to be.

Imagine an ice cream cone, the conical kind. The structure of a mammoth tusk is essentially like a stack of these cones. The surface cracks appear at the base of each cone. I needed to be careful about stripping away the surface layer close to the tip, because there is no layer underneath. The tip is the first cone. Mammoth tusks grew as a new cone of ivory was deposited inside the previous one, like one ice cream cone fitting into another. This will be an important consideration when carving.

I've used several different tools so far. A water hose and pick, to get the dirt out of the root section of the tusk. Then a hammer and chisel to remove some of the outer layer. Finally a large bit on my Foredom H Series grinder to reduce the remainder of the surface material. Throughout, I've been "soaking" the tusk in ZAP CA+ and ZAP A GAP. (The stuff comes in two ounce bottles, so soaking may be a relative term!) Many of the smaller cracks have been filled with the glue and the others have allowed the glue to penetrate deep into the tusk. Since I'm afraid of using the silicone sealant before I'm satisfied that the glue has been applied to all areas of the tusk, I used the ZAP CA+ on the surface of the tusk as a sealant. It can be ground off when I want to proceed with the carving, whereas the silicone sealant may remain and prevent further glue from penetrating as required.

There is much work to do now, studying the structure of the tusk in more detail, allowing further seasoning of the ivory, and completion of the design concept.

Take care for now,

Shane

Copyright © 1997 - 2006 Shane Wilson