Scrimshaw Addiction

Jungle Tiger Scrimshaw

Step 1 – 28/04/19

This tiger is the next picture I’ve chosen to scrimshaw. I seem to keep coming back to tigers because of the vivid colours and striking patterns which make each scrimshaw very striking.

The mammoth ivory weighs 45.25 grams and is 104mm wide x 58mm high. It has a slight curve and I decided to work on the inside surface as the outside is too rough.

Here is the ivory polished and ready to begin the scrimshaw.

This is the ivory with the tiger picture attached and ready to cut out the outline.

After several hours, the details have been cut out. This is what it looks like when the initial black oil paint has been applied.

Step 2 – 02/05/19

Now it’s time to start scrimshawing, so I’ll fill in the black areas.

Step 3 – 03/05/19

Now that the black areas are finished, its time to start adding some background colour.

Step 4 – 05/05/19

The foreground is now also finished. This step took a bit longer because the leaves and log have a lot of detail.

Step 5 – 07/05/19

Here’s the finished scrimshaw, which means it’s time to begin work on the wooden stand.

Base/Stand

Step 36- 08/05/19

The wood I’ve chosen is Furry Oak. It has stripes like a Tiger which should match the scrimshaw quite nicely.

I start by roughly drawing the shape I want for the stand and then cutting it out with a bandsaw.

Here’s the roughly cut base.

Next comes the time-consuming part – grinding, filing and sanding the base to the exact dimensions needed.

Finally, I finish the wood with EEE-ULTRA SHINE and White Shellac.

A mammoth ivory nameplate is created and fixed to the wood under the scrimshaw with 2 silver pins.

09/05/19 – The End.

Contact Rod: randclacey@bigpond.com