If you’ve ever been curious about working with ivory—whether for inlays, tuning pegs, or decorative appointments—you might be surprised how approachable it is if you take the right steps.
I’ve used mammoth ivory slabs in my own builds, and over time, I’ve developed a process that works well for me. Here’s what I’ve learned:
Cutting Ivory
When it comes to cutting ivory, think woodworking—but harder on your tools. I start with a bandsaw using a ¼” to ½” blade with around 8–10 teeth per inch (TPI). If you’re only doing light cuts, a hacksaw or fine-toothed wood saw will work too. For finer cuts, I bump up to a jeweler’s saw or use 14–18 TPI blades on the band saw.
One thing I do after every cut: I apply a little Welbond glue to the fresh end grain. It helps seal it and keeps things from getting brittle or cracking later.
Blades dull fast when cutting ivory—it’s abrasive. Don’t skimp on quality here. Keep your blades sharp and let the tool do the work. Rushing or forcing the cut just leads to wandering lines and frustration.
Sanding Tips
Sanding goes smoothly on a bench-mounted belt sander, moving progressively through grits. I usually start at 100–120 grit and go all the way up to 400 or 600 by hand. Starting too coarse can leave deep scratches that are hard to sand out, so be patient climbing the grit ladder—if you skip too far, you’ll find yourself backtracking.
I always run a dust collector while sanding or cutting. I also wear eye protection and a mask. While I haven’t heard of ivory being toxic, minimizing exposure to fine dust is just good sense. Some folks even set up a fan behind them or work outside when they can.
Carving & Repair
For carving, a Dremel-style rotary tool works great. And if you hit a small crack? Mix some epoxy with ivory dust and fill it in. Then sand it smooth. Classic trick from the carvers’ playbook.
Finishing
After sanding, I usually go for a matte finish, which I refine with very fine steel wool. It really brings out the luster in the material. If you want a glossy look instead, lapidary-grade jeweler's rouge applied with a cloth wheel on a bench grinder does the job nicely. Just stick to white rouge and a white cloth wheel—don’t risk color transfer that’s tough to remove.
Heat Is Your Enemy
Be careful not to generate too much heat while working—it can leave a chalky film on the surface. If the piece feels warm to the touch, stop and let it cool. This is especially important during sanding.
Stabilizing Ivory
There’s a lot of debate around stabilizing ivory. I’ve done both stabilized and unstabilized versions. The idea is to gently remove residual moisture and replace it with oil or resin—sometimes done to improve durability or prevent cracking.
It’s especially worth considering if the ivory is going to be mounted on something with different expansion properties (like metal) or in a spot where it might get wet often (like on a knife handle). In those cases, use a mounting system that allows for a bit of movement.
If you're interested in learning more, I recommend reaching out to a local knife-making guild—they often have a wealth of experience with this kind of thing.
A Word on Sourcing
From a gemological standpoint, ivory varies slightly by species. Elephant ivory, for example, contains about 65–70% hydroxyapatite [Ca₅(PO₄)₃OH] along with collagen and elastin proteins. It has a hardness of 2.5–2.75 and a specific gravity of 1.7–2.0.
The ivory I work with is primarily sourced from walrus and narwhal tusks. These come from traditional Inuit hunts in northern Canada, where the primary goal is subsistence hunting for food. The tusks serve as a secondary resource and have long been used in carvings and tools.
This trade is tightly regulated by the Canadian government and is legal within Canada. International shipping requires a CITES permit, and while we can ship internationally, we cannot ship to the U.S. due to marine mammal restrictions.
That said, mammoth ivory and muskox horn can still be shipped to the U.S. without permits—though a few states have recently placed restrictions on mammoth ivory imports, so it’s worth checking local laws before ordering.
If you're a luthier or builder who wants to explore adding ivory accents into your builds—responsibly and legally—I’m happy to help. Whether you're curious, just starting out, or already incorporating it into your work, I can help connect you with materials and offer guidance along the way.
📩 Contact me directly for pricing, availability, or any questions about sourcing and shipping.
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