Perseving Ivory handles from crazing ..??

[scdiveteam]

Hi,

I stopped using Ivory on butts except for inlays. The first nice cue I bought 35 years ago had an Ivory Joint, it cracked. That last cue I installed an Ivory joint on, it cracked. I think mostly because the cues were cold.

I still install Ivory ferrules upon request with no guarantee. Funny, I don't see much problems with ivory ferrules.

Rick

 

[xpatcan1]

Make sure Ivory is stable before installing it is the only way to prevent future problems. It will shrink and crack if it's not stable.

On big pieces I seal the outer surfaces then drill and bore the center to 3/4". I don't seal the inside. The hole lets the Ivory dry evenly and gives it room to shrink. I measure the inside hole once a month and when it quits shrinking it's stable enough to take the outer sealer off and let it breath.
I use the same process for my Ivory ferrules, joints, and butt caps. The bigger the piece the longer it takes. Ferrules take 4-8 weeks to quit shrinking. But size pieces can take 18 months before they quit shrinking.
Most likely when Ivory cracks it's because it doesn't have room to shrink. Put it on correctly and it will out last the wood it's glued to.

this is some good/helpful info thanks for sharing!

 

[bbb]

this thread has been very educational
thanks to all who have/will contribute
:thumbup:
how old a cue with an ivory joint would you consider "safe" from cracking problems if treated properly ie no extremes of heat
but some humidity changes ie air conditioning in the house and pool room
living in florida high humidity
cue kept in a sterling wave case for storage and transport to and from pool room???

lastly
WHAT DOES CRAZING MEAN?????
i understand what craking means but does it mean if your ivory cracks you go crazy
seriously what does crazing mean??
thanks in advance for a reply

 

[opiesbro]

this thread has been very educational
thanks to all who have/will contribute
:thumbup:
how old a cue with an ivory joint would you consider "safe" from cracking problems if treated properly ie no extremes of heat
but some humidity changes ie air conditioning in the house and pool room
living in florida high humidity
cue kept in a sterling wave case for storage and transport to and from pool room???

lastly
WHAT DOES CRAZING MEAN?????
i understand what craking means but does it mean if your ivory cracks you go crazy
seriously what does crazing mean??
thanks in advance for a reply

If you look at a headlight in a car and it looks like it has thousands of little cracks in it is called "crazing". It is actually the molded in stress on a molecular level of the plastic when they are made. Then as the plastic heats and cools and the built in stresses move the molecules the plastic cracks like that. I am guessing it is the same for ivory since we are talking about stressing and cracking.

 

[Dave38]

Crazing is the little cracks that will show up after a period of time in an item, not only in ivory, but it can happen even in fine china, ceramics, and porcelain. I don't know the reasons why it happens, and won't try to guess, but It will look like this: