Gluing ivory strike plate?

[Mesophilic]

Anyone have experience gluing ivory?  (From an old piano's keys)

The bow I'm working with doesn't have a shelf or arrow pass.  I was able to wet form the ivory to the curves on the handle by clamping to the bow and letting it dry.  Took it off the bow and let it dry further.  Sat in its spot nice and flush.

I epoxied it on this afternoon and just used 2 spring clamps to keep it from moving.

The edges curled up and pulled away from the bow and I had to chip it all off.  Not sure if the epoxy chemically reacted but it's my first guess.

Any tips for this stuff?  Different glue?  Try to inlay it?

[dylanholderman]

no experience but at a guess a would say either inlay and glue with CA or use hide glue.
if the piano is old enough to have real ivory then it was probably glued with hide glue in the first place.

[Mesophilic]

Thanks, I think I'll give the inlay a try.

[chamookman]

Might want to lightly sand both surfaces also. Just a thought - Bob.

[Eric Krewson]

I inlet strike plates and glue them in with superglue then sand them flush. I have never used ivory but have seen ivory inlays on early B/P guns.

[Mesophilic]

Thanks guys.  I ended up inlaying with epoxy and clamping down all the edges so it wouldn't curl up.  I'm nit the best at inlaying as you can see, and carving the ipe was a real PITA so I needed the epoxy for its gap filling properties IMO.

On the first attempt I had filed flames in to the edge of the strike plate that faces the back of the bow,  and it looked really awesome.  But no way I do not posess the skills to carve out the flame shapes into the wood so ended up more plain.

I think it'll look alright once I get the handle wrap on, and it covers that lower portion.

[osage outlaw]

I used piano ivory for tip overlays.  I glued them down with superglue

[Mesophilic]

I used piano ivory for tip overlays.  I glued them down with superglue

Do you by chance have any pictures?  I was trying to think how to do tip overlays, but these thin ivory veneers  baffle me on how to pull it off.  I was thinking maybe a laminate by gluing them to some micarta or G10.

[BowEd]

Nice strike plate......You could use them on edge of your tips also.As a high lite on your tips.Cutting a slot.Locking in a recurve then too.
Ivory in the past was sought after because of it's denser qualities than horn for highly articulate scrimshawing.
A few items scrimshawed.The horn I did myself.Coon hunting was my main hobby then along with buckskinning.The walrus tusk ivory disk and rosette on elk horn scraper was done by a fellow buckskinning friend artist in trade for hair-on buffalo brain tan leather back in them days.Indian ink and 0000 steel wool used to scrimshaw.Good pair of glasses too.


Reverse side of walrus tusk showing nerve center.

[Mesophilic]

Nice strike plate......You could use them on edge of your tips also.As a high lite on your tips.Cutting a slot.Locking in a recurve then too.
Ivory in the past was sought after because of it's denser qualities than horn for highly articulate scrimshawing.
A few items scrimshawed.The horn I did myself.Coon hunting was my main hobby then along with buckskinning.The walrus tusk ivory disk and rosette on elk horn scraper was done by a fellow buckskinning friend artist in trade for hair-on buffalo brain tan leather back in them days.Indian ink and 0000 steel wool used to scrimshaw.Good pair of glasses too.

Ed, you never stop amazing me with your talent.

I'm not a very good artist but I feel the need to try this scrimshaw stuff out now.