Official Luthiers Forum!

A friend of mine offered me some Walrus Tusks to use for saddles and nuts on my guitars...They will have to be sawn to the right sizes...Has any one used walrus tusks?...Is it worth fooling with compared to ordinary bone? What would be the best way to saw it?...Larry

Walrus is a CITES Appendix animal. Technically, you should have proper certification.

Hi Larry,

Well I am not entirely sure it would be the same but I have used fossilized walrus ivory before and thought that there was quite a bit of improvement over just the bone ( all subjective of course). I found it to be much brighter and seemed to bring out overtones a bit better.

other than that I am no help! but hopefully someone has fooled around with the stuff more and can give you some answers

Matt

Be sure that your friend is offering you legal tusk material. All of the fossilized stuff that
I've used is recovered from many years of laying among the stones and vegetation of the
tundra where it is collected.

I've used both walrus and elephant tusk pieces for saddles, nuts, pins and inlay a lot, but
it has always been certified legal or from estate pieces that had been in a family collection
for generations.

Get certification when you get the material.

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars

Iv´e heard that lots of the certified stuff is in a way illegal to ! as its only been changing hands in the right way to become "legal" "elefant" from africa etc. ? question is if its ok to use at all. If this is the case that is ! ?

Lars

This quarter's Fret Board Journal has a great article on CITES and it also indicates that obtaining certification can be an absolute nightmare........ After reading the article there are lots of alternatives that seem much more attractive now.......

Thanks for the info guys...The tusks come from the Grand Banks of Newfoundland...The Captain of a deep sea Scallop Dragger gets one every now and then in the nets....Some are very old and not of much use....The couple of pieces that I will be getting (i am told) looks to be solid....Gonna give it a try on my next build after Christmas....I'll post some pics when its done...Larry

I've used them before and they sure do add to the tone.They make great picks as well.

I buy my FWI in Anchorage from Alaska Fur Exchange located directly across the street from the US Wildlife Services. When I buy it I get a receipt that is stamped saying "THIS MATERIAL IS FROM FEE SIMPLE PRIVATE LANDS IN ALASKA. NO ANTIQUITY LAWS APPLY." I save all my receipts.

I make pins and find it hard to get material that has enough enamel/too much core for saddles. As nut and saddle material I find it very bright and powerful .To some some customers too much, some really like it.

Mike Fleck

Antiquity Laws are separate from CITES. I think Canada requested walrus to be added to CITES. It's on Appendix III which is the least "restrictive".

CITES does apply to crossing international borders, but not transport within a country. Theoretically, some contries would confiscate a guitar with BRW or elephant ivory with no CITES. The CITES certification would need to stay with the manufacured item.

I'm floored that instead of getting an answer to your question, you've gotten nothing but people worried about how "legal" it is.

I don't have much to add, having not cut this kind of material myself (aside from the stuff sold by various suppliers as folssilized ivory.). But I'd say to try it and compare it with bone yourself.

Unless you're selling it by the ton, I wouldn't be too worried about CITES (despite how fashionable it is around here).

_________________
Instagram: @jfrenchluthier
Web: https://www.jfrenchguitars.com/

If we are talking Fossilized Walrus Ivory, you need to know that cutting the FWI is some what tricky. Heat will cause it to distort and sometimes crack. Using water or other coolants can be adsorbed causing discoloration and shape distortion. Slice it thicker than you think you need then hand sand to final thickness. The lest heat you cause the better.

I can be wrong here but I do not believe CITIES covers fossilized Walrus ivory but rather harvested walrus ivory

Fossilized shouldn't be a concern.I think they are more concerned about living walrus only.