How to Scrimshaw

Scrimshaw is an American folk art form once perfected by New England sailors. They would etch designs onto whale ivory with needles or knives and color it with ink or soot. While the whaling trade is no longer viable or legal, the art of scrimshaw lives on.

Steps

Finding Materials

1. Shop around old salvage yards or thrift stores for small pieces of ivory. If you are using whale ivory, make sure it was harvested before 1972, when the Marine Protection Act outlawed whaling in America. You can also use old ivory piano keys, bone or white acrylic.^[1]
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


2. Buy a pen-like X-acto knife with a replaceable head. Insert a pin into the front and secure the pinhead inside the knife.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


3. Get some good quality beeswax, black, brown or blue ink and some acetone nail polish remover.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Sealing the Surface

1. Apply beeswax to the surface of the bone or ivory to seal it. If possible, attach a disk to a Dremel tool and apply the beeswax to the disc. Then, apply the beeswax evenly to the surface of the ivory, coating it completely.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • Why seal the ivory? Ivory is very porous. Sealing keeps the ink that’s tattooed into the ivory from spilling over into unwanted sections, leaving an inky cloud. When properly sealed, the ivory will absorb ink only into the grooves that you etch into it.
   
   
   
   


2. Use a cloth and work the beeswax into the surface by hand for five minutes if you don’t have a tool with which to apply it. Rub the wax cloth over and over against the ivory until it has a uniform surface.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


3. With a clean cloth, buff the ivory until all the beeswax has been removed. The ivory should look shiny but not feel very waxy. Set the beeswax cloth aside, since you will need it later.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Transferring a Design

1. Measure your piece of ivory. You will want a small detailed drawing to use as your scrimshaw design.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


2. Find an image online and shrink it to the size of the object. Remember to leave one-half inch of space on all sides. A sketch-like image with good outlines and some shadowing is best for scrimshaw.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


3. Print the image on a home computer or copy it from a book to a sheet of paper.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


4. Place the ivory on top of it and draw an outline of the ivory over the sheet of paper. Cut it out, so that you can align it with the edges easily.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


5. Place the illustration face down. Wet a cloth with acetone nail remover. Rub it lightly over the top of the paper with the cloth and then with a bone folder.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • Make sure the paper is completely wet.
   
   
   
   


6. Lift up the edge of the paper and peel it back quickly. You don’t want to move it around on the surface, or it will smudge your outline. Discard the paper.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • If the outline didn’t come off onto the bone clearly, you can sand it, wax it and start again.^[2]
   
   
   
   

Etching the Surface

1. Trace the outlines of the illustration with your pin. Begin applying pressure while holding the pin as vertical as possible. Etch the lines into the surface of the bone.^[3]
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


2. Complete the outline of the illustration. Then, apply some ink to the surface with a cotton swab. Apply a generous amount, and then wipe it off the remaining surface with a lint-free rag.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


3. Begin shading the drawing by etching crosshatched lines. You can also stipple, by etching dots. The closer the dots are together, the darker the shading will be.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


4. Apply more ink with cotton swabs and wipe it off. If you want a line to be darker, etch it deeper and apply more ink.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


5. Replace your pin as necessary when it begins to dull.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Finishing the Scrimshaw

1. Survey your work. If you make a mistake, you can draw larger lines or you can sand the area, re-wax it and sketch it again.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


2. Wipe all the extra ink off the surface of the bone.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


3. Grab your beeswax-covered cloth. Wax the surface of the scrimshaw when you are done by spreading an even layer over the artwork. It should appear shiny and preserve your ink.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Things You'll Need

• Small piece of ivory/bone


• Ink


• Cotton swabs


• Cloths


• Beeswax


• Dremel tool


• Pins


• X-acto knife


• Acetone nail polish remover


• Image


• Photocopy

Sources and Citations

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source How to of the Day http://ift.tt/1DECfiT