How to tell if it's really ivory?

D

Devilish48

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was wondering if there was an easy way to distinguish an ivory ferrule from all other types of ferrule material? I have several shafts that are supposed to have ivory, and others that are supposed to have an alternative material, but I can't tell which is which.

Thanks for any and all help!

Chris
 
Sheldon said:
Light it on fire, and you'll know by the smell.... :D
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Sheldon is actually not too far off base with this one.
If a visual inspection under magnification is not conclusive....remove the tip and heat a safety pin up red hot and just barely touch it to the tip of the ferrule. If you've ever smelled hair burning....It's almost a perfect match.
I've always been able to tell with a visual though some are tough...there always seems to be some type of grain pattern under magnification.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I've tried to look with a standard magnifying glass, but I have "old man eyes" syndrone, so anything close up is hard to see properly =) I'll see if I can get a brighter light on it and look for any grain.

Thanks again,

Chris.
 
Take some 1000 grit sandpaper and sand up and down just the ferrule area a couple of times, then sniff the sandpaper. If it's ivory it will smell very similar to the smell you get when your favorite dentist drills into your teeth. Believe me you will know what I mean. You will never forget that smell. :grin-square:

John
 
i agree. the smell is a dead give away. not many of the ivory subs look just like ivory. the sand paper will work. fake will smell like nothing but wood ivory will smell like bad like drilling teeth
 
Thanks again for the suggestions. As soon as I can get some time, I'll try the 1000 grit sandpaper technique and see what is what.

Chris
 
A easier solution would be to let your local cue repairman look at it. He can probably tell just by looking at it.
 
jkmarshall_cues said:
Take some 1000 grit sandpaper and sand up and down just the ferrule area a couple of times, then sniff the sandpaper. If it's ivory it will smell very similar to the smell you get when your favorite dentist drills into your teeth. Believe me you will know what I mean. You will never forget that smell. :grin-square:

John
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I was always told that , what you have described here, in a smell, was how you determine Micarta
 
shotmaker said:
I was always told that , what you have described here, in a smell, was how you determine Micarta
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i thought the only real way to know if its real micarta is if you get lung cancer 15 years down the road.
 
dave sutton said:
i agree. the smell is a dead give away. not many of the ivory subs look just like ivory. the sand paper will work. fake will smell like nothing but wood ivory will smell like bad like drilling teeth
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Not meaning to be disagreeable, but drilling/cutting/sanding buckhorn generates the evil dentist smell, does it not ? :sorry:

Dave
 
DaveK said:
Not meaning to be disagreeable, but drilling/cutting/sanding buckhorn generates the evil dentist smell, does it not ? :sorry:

Dave
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But buckhorn has a look (from the examples I have seen) that is all its own, and would be hard to mistake for ivory.

Chris
 
DaveK said:
Not meaning to be disagreeable, but drilling/cutting/sanding buckhorn generates the evil dentist smell, does it not ? :sorry:

Dave
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lol. i call buckhorn alabama ivory. like if all you teeth were rotten with black cavities. dont me to be insensitive. i make horrible jokes at my own expense also. anything to me ppl laugh.

they may smell the same but they dont look the same. i am partial to real ivory. i like its color and cleanliness. if it isnt white i dont like it. if i had a buckhorn ferrule i probably would never play pool again. not with that cue atleast. might go play in traffic instead
 
dave sutton said:
...they may smell the same
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That's all I'm saying.

dave sutton said:
...if i had a buckhorn ferrule i probably would never play pool again. not with that cue atleast. might go play in traffic instead
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I can send you some :p

Dave
 
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