EXOTIC WOODS:

There is much controversy surrounding the subject of woods that come from tropical rainforests. Although I do use some of them, I try to see to it that they are obtained in such a way that my use of them does not add in any significant way to unsustainable forestry practices. Some of the materials are plantation grown in a remarkably sustainable manor. A number of people, largely from the USA, have purchased old, run down Rancherias in Central and South America and are doing an amazing job of restoring them to a much more healthy, natural state. The growing of exotic wood trees in appropriate areas is a part of these sustainable plantations.

Another source that I use is woodworking shops that already make use of the rare hardwoods. Most of these shops make larger objects such as furniture and have smaller pieces left over from projects. I sometimes buy exotic woods in small pieces that are large enough for my uses from them. I have been in some shops that use these “scraps” as firewood--much to my distress!!! I think that finding a way to use them to create something beautiful and useful rather than burning them is a far better choice. There are many countries that regulate the cutting of wood and practice sustainable forestry. Australia is a good example of this. Also, The Nature Conservancy monitors the status of woods from all over the world and you can find out from them whether these woods are being harvested in a sustainable manner. 

Last but certainly not least—there are local woods to be had, some of them quite exotic, here in North America. Private yards and other properties right in our cities are often planted with exotics. From time to time trees of this nature come down for any of a number of reasons and if one can locate and procure them and is prepared to cut them up, haul them and prepare and cure them properly, this is a very “green” source of fine and often unusual wood. I have cultivated relationships with landscapers and tree services just for this purpose. There are, as well, many other reasons that fine woods are brought down or uprooted inadvertently and would otherwise be left to rot. My source of Manzanita burl is a man in northern California who goes through recently logged-over areas and collects dead burls that have been uprooted by the logging operation.

STABILIZED WOOD

There are advantages to using stabilized wood. It is very unlikely to absorb water, shrink or swell. It also tends not to absorb substances that would stain or damage it. It's downside is that it is somewhat heaver than unstabilized wood. Occasionally, when it is warranted, I will use wood that I have had stabilized with a polymer. The reasons for this are usually one of two things—either a particularly beautiful piece of wood is too soft to stand up to regular use or the spalting in a piece of wood is so advanced that I feel the need to insure that it will not progress. Wood must meet my criteria for exceptional appearance before I will have it treated. My wood is always natural color. I do not use dyed wood.

FOSSIL IVORY:

These are materials that have been in the ground for thousands of years, largely protected by the permafrost north of the Arctic Circle in places such as Alaska, Canada’s Northwest Territories and Siberia. I have read a recent estimate that there may be as many as 8 million Mammoths buried in the Siberian permafrost. Since these materials come from animals that are either long extinct or at the least died many thousands of years in the past, there are no legal restrictions to owning or trading in these materials in the United States. For both legal and ethical reasons I do not and will not use ivory from elephants at all or walrus that have not been dead and in the ground long enough to become legitimate fossil material. Many other materials have been tried as a substitute for ivory and none of them have proven to be very satisfactory for scrimshaw.

INLAY

Some materials that are otherwise beautiful simply do not hold up to the rigors of fishing in their natural form and so I will, when no reasonable alternative is available, use stabilized or even, occasionally, reconstituted material. Turquoise is an example of a material that needs stabilization for this use. Malachite and azurite, among others, seem to be so poorly held together that it is necessary to use a reconstituted form so that they will not deteriorate from use.  Fossil ivory tends to absorb water and swell and then contract somewhat when it dries. Various stabilizing media can be used to address these concerns.