Scrimshaw

Scrimshaw is an art form that originated at a time when the whaling industry was going full steam ahead. The first original scrimshaw was done on whale teeth, then graduated to whale bone. It is basically a series of scratches made by a needle or similar pointed object. Then the scratches are filled with black ink, the ink is wiped away and you are left with a design.

Today, there is a black market that takes any whale teeth and grinds them up for fertilizer which sells for a high price. So scrimmers have gone to other forms of ivory, such as walrus tusk, piano keys, and elephant ivory, (though the latter is fiercely controlled and protected in the United States). Now, there is a man-made ivory called Mycarta that many scrimmers use for their craft. There are also Ivory Nuts taken off of trees in the tropics, crack open the hard shell and peel it off, and you have a smooth surface on which to work that is similar to ivory.

I started scrim-shawing about 10 years ago. Mike and I were at a gift shop at Portage Glacier in Alaska and I saw this wonderful necklace, a piece of ivory with a otter's head scrimmed on it. The necklace was quite expensive and I put it back thinking "I can do that." Then I went home, prowled through some of Mike's knife handle supplies, found a piece of moose antler, sanded it smooth and practiced on it.

Today, I scrim on pistol grips and knife handles, and do separate smaller pieces for clients. Email me for prices if you are interested. I really enjoy scrimming other people's pets. I have walrus ivory, oosik, antler, mastadon ivory and of course mycarta.