The banner-enterprise., 1883-05-03
CARVING IVORY AND BONE.
USES TO WHICH BONES AND ELE.
PLANT TusKs ARE PUT,
How the Delicate Carvings of Umbrella
Handles and Other Articles are Made by
skilled Workmen.

About the most unlikely object in
the world out of which to bring beauty
Of shape and purity of appearance is
bone discarded by butcher and pur-
veyor, and possibly flung into the
street to await removal by 4 foraging
dog or uncertain streat-cleaner Yet
this same bone. like the boy who is to
be President. may have future before
it. and dwell in marble halls. The
dainty, jeweled fingers Of some bright
maiden may clasp it in the form OF
parasol or umbrella handle-the valued
gift of a friend, treasured and admired.
Or, more remarkable still, it may hold
the soft bris.les with which the beauty
cleans her pearly teeth.
Yet, after all, the process Of trans
formation that fits former resident Of
the gutter or refuse-heap to be welcome
in a palace Is very simple. All the GU
riously carved handles which are so
fashionable, and the quanter the more
sought after, are shaped upon Il series
of rapidly revolving wheels, ranging
from an eighth to three inches in di-
ameter, and which are cross between
file and a saw upon their cutting sur
fac. Ivory and bone are carved in
precis Ny the same manner, the only
difference in the handling of the two
being that bone has to be boiled a long
time to free it from animal matter be-
fore it goes to the carver, while ivory
is clean and pure from the start.
When it is desired to produce any
given object in bone or ivory, IA nm-
brella handle witha 4 crouc hedtiger upon
it. for instance, the carver takes a
piece of the material Of suitable size
and presses it against one of the wheels
described above At the point Of con-
tact it cuts with amazing rapidity.
Soon the shapeless block begins to as
sumo the rough outlines of the object
intended. The lathe is then stopped,
which requires but an instant, and an
other, probably a smaller wheel, is sub
stituted. In this way dozen Wheels
NAV be used bet, re the final finish is
given with delicate d SIX, little larger
than pins head; but when the work
leaves the dett fingers of the skillful
worker Il perfect miniature Of the
royal native Of the jungle is seen. The
only remaining thing to be done is
polishing, which is accomplished by
means of canvas belts with pumice
uponthem, and finally by canton-tlannel
belts or wheels.
4 firm of this city have workmen
who will actually take u photograph of
q person and from itproduce a life-like
statuette, which can be attached to
any suitable article as a handle. This,
Of course would enable a gentleman to
combine his likeness and an umbrella
in one gift.
AS will be inferred from informa-
tion here given carving in this
country is almost entirely done by ma
ehinery. The Chinesedo more labori-
Gus carving than any ether nation, but
time with them seems to be of no &C.
cornt Hence the great amount Of in
tricate and trick > work viii h aston
ished people at the Centennial eXhbi-
tion. A thinaman will spends months
and even years, patiently cutting, atom
Ivy atom, objects within objects, until
the final result is astonishing. But
the secret is largely patience Many
people suppose that bi.liard-halls are
turned by means of some eXquisitely
adjusted machinery in order to secure
their spherical perfection. The eX-
quisite machineis the eye and handof
the artisan. The writer saw a gray
haired workman turn several billiard
balls, and the only tool he used was an
or linary turner's chisel. His eye was
his gauge.
1t is a curious fact that ivory varies
in texture with locality. The most of
it comes from Africa. That from the east
coast is softer than that from the west.
Hence it is used for billiard-balis, or
whenever an object is required to sus
tain blow. Though west coast ivory
does Just as well for handles of all
kinds, paper-cutters, pen-racks, ETC.,
yet it would soon chip to pieces if
made into billiard-balls.
One other fact about ivory. Not
much more than half of the tusk
is seen protruding from the elephant.
1t really extends to the top of his head,
growing thinner and membraneous at
the extreme upper end. TuSks range
in weight from two to three pounds
to far above a hundred A firm from
which many of the above facts were
obtained had one tusE which tipped the
scale at lS5 pounds 1t was as thick
as the trunk Of a goodsized tree, and
a terrible weapon when welded by the
mighty quadruped to which it be-
longed.
Besides elephant iyorya great many
walrus tusks are worked up into trink-
cts and fancy articles. This is whittier
than the other, and has not the deli
cate tracery which is 50 beautiful in
the best ivory. Speaking of walrus
tusks reminds the writer that in a bin
full he saw a lot of dog-sledge runners
made of them, which were either de
fectiye, and, therefore, pru lently real
i2el upon, or else me young Esqui-
maux of erratic tendency getting
somewhat hard up had to pawn them,
and they were sold as unredeemed
pledges. Which it was the runners
failed to reveal-Philadelphia Times.