Mystery Artist 48 – Steve Barlow?

Posted on by Andrew Perkins

Barlow is a name many people recognize in scrimshaw. Just about everything I’ve ever seen on finished goods such as knives, belt buckles, lighters, jewelry, etc. This one is scrimmed on what appears to be a whale tooth, and was inherited recently.

Mystery Artist 48 - close-up of the ship and the flock of seagulls

An amazing amount of seagulls circle the ship, more than the typical 2-5 on most scrimshaws. The front is extremely polished while the back is dull and unpolished. We’re waiting for a picture of the signature which will hopefully be provided soon. The owner writes:

Mystery Artist 48 - back of tooth

“I have this piece that is scrimshawed and is absolutely beautiful.  I don’t know if it’s a whale tooth or walrus.  It’s signed by Steve Barlow. I have attached a couple of pictures and hope that maybe you can guide me to finding someone that can tell me if it’s a real original or a Knock-off.  I received it from as an inheritance and have no clue. …”

The signature appears as “Steve T Barlow”…

Mystery Artist 48 - base of tooth

Base of tooth appears to the right. While there is a nerve cavity, the sides appear quite thick…

If you have any knowledge of the piece, please leave your comments below.

Mystery Artist 47 – Mnmnmnm?

Posted on by Andrew Perkins

A whale tooth from a Goodwill store in Ohio… you never know where you’re going to find a treasure.

“I purchased a scrimshaw Walrus tooth at a Goodwill store Ohio. I didn’t know what it actually was. Just thought the tooth was Neat with drawing on it, Then googled and was reading1 This is how I found your site. I was looking at signature and it looks like wwnnnww  LoL”

2019-05-13 — Special thanks to Douglass Moody for the following information:

Special thanks to Douglass Moody for the quick and informative response: ” Naguruk, Nuguruk and Nunuk
As per Dorothy Jean Ray in her book A Legacy of Arctic Art, page 148, ” I saw names like “Nunuk” and “Nuguruk” inscribed on pieces at a time when most ivory art was anonymous; few Eskimos in Nome vicinity signed their work, and if they did, they used a binomial… I later learned that these objects were made in Seattle, usually mass-produced from a master engraved on ivory pieces, usually elephant ivory, with a tag “genuine ivory”, which were then sent to Alaska, where customers mistakenly thought they were buying Eskimo-made objects of walrus ivory,”
http://www.ahgupuk.com/Naguruk%20Nuguruk%20Nunuk.html
Douglass and many other collectors can be found on facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/scrimshawcollectorsguild/
Here you can find both artists and collectors of this engaging art.

Anyone recognize the artist? It’s a great style. Post your responses below if you know, and thanks for looking!

Scrimshaw Knives

Posted on by Andrew Perkins

Scrimshaw Pocket Knife

 A small knife is handy for opening letters and packages, though it’s not what you want to be carrying when flying. See https://traveltips.usatoday.com/knife-carrying-restrictions-aircraft-110179.html for a light article on this subject. They can be a cherished memento as well, passed down from parent to child, or as a gift for the wedding party participants.  A scrimshawed pocket knife is a gift that has thought and effort put into it.

 Knife handles come with their challenges, from rounded edges to the shape of the handle to fitting the subject so it doesn’t look like it’s been stuffed into the shape, as well as the pins or bolts that hold the ivory or bone to the blade.

 Cost is also a factor, with knife prices ranging from about $10.00 into the hundreds or more. A beginning scrimshander would want to keep the costs low, and unless you’re also looking to become a knife crafter, you’ll want something that has the scales already made and attached.  If you have the tools, you can create your own scales and attach them to blades that have them bolted on or epoxy them on.

 Making a “knife mask” in GIMP

  1. Take a picture of your knife
  2. Add black background with the paint bucket
  3. Remove the scale (make it transparent using the wand selector then clicking “delete)
  4. Add your design on a new layer, then lower that layer (Layer menu -> Stack -> Lower Layer)

From here, you can scale your subject layer to get a better idea if it works, or if it doesn’t.  If you make your “knife mask” the same size as your knife, you can print out the picture, cut out the scale and tape it onto your knife scale and use the “Whaleman’s Technique” (piercing the picture with your stippling tool to make stipples on the scale material underneath). In this picture, the skull is a full head on shot, but the left part of the skull is “masked”. The layer with the skull is just below the knife layer.

Care of the whole knife – masking off the area

Once you have your knife, you’ll want to use masking tape to cover any part of the knife you don’t want to get scratched, and in the case of fixed blade knives, you’ll want to protect the blade (and you) from the edge.  Using a folded piece of cardboard can help here, placing the edge into the fold, then securing the cardboard to the knife so it doesn’t slip out. Any metal should be covered with tape as well so it doesn’t get scuffed, dinged or marred while you’re working.

Holding the knife while scrimshawing

“Mortite” caulking worked into a shallow lump can work well if you use low power magnification, adhering it to your work surface. Adhering it to a small board or cardboard base will allow you to move it around easier.  Only remove the masking tape once you’ve finished inking and sealing the design with archival wax.

Inexpensive knives

Amazon has a number of knives I’m hoping to work on this summer, mostly small ones.  My favorite is the “sunfish” design, but they’re notoriously out of stock or are collectors items on eBay – a bit out of my hobby wallet at this point.

As a gift for yourself or someone interested in learning scrimshaw, here’s an inexpensive kit featuring a rough rider double bladed knife and all of the tools you’ll need. I’d recommend a sharpening stone to hone the point as well: a sharp point pn your scribe makes a big difference in stippling as well as incising lines. A 000 paintbrush (available in most art and department stores) is also helpful, especially if you’re going to add more colors. Available as a kit on Amazon. Read further, as you may wish to get a lockback knife instead…


Boker Gentleman’s Lockback Knife



The Boker is my second favorite knife, though more expensive. There’s ample room behind their insignia to scribe a ship, and a lighthouse would look nice here, too.
Sporting a lockback, this one is good if you’re prone to mishandling knives as I was in my youth. My trusty knife didn’t have a lockback, and I was real good at sharpening, as I found out when the blade folded over my fingers while I was trying to drill a hole in a piece of wood. Another lesson I learned was use the right tool for the right job. Fortunately I kept my fingers. Unfortunately that was the last time I saw that knife after my Mom bandaged me up.


Pocket Knife Camel Bone 6.5” Damascus Steel – https://amzn.to/2FZpcTQ

Make your own knife scale for these:

You can cut your own knife scale out of bone, paper micarta, ivory alternative (or mammoth ivory, if it’s legal in your state). Some of the kits have pieces you can trace and cut with a scroll saw or keyhole saw, or you can cut a paper that fits and transfer this onto the material.  For the holes, be sure to leave enough material for the head to hold it onto the knife itself – the bolts have a slightly wider head than their bodies, or laminate a contrasting wood, horn or durable plastic to the underside of your scale.  Here are a few examples:

Only 2-⅞” blade, bone scale would be about 1″:

Starim Mini –

Eafengrow EF17 Folding Pocket Knife –

Kit Knives

Rough Rider Custom Shop Small Lockback Knife Kit –

FLX25 Frame Lock Folding Knife – DIY Parts Kit –

There are fixed blade knives as well, they can be found with handles attached:

Wild Turkey Camel Bone –

Elk Ridge Fixed Blade Bone Handle –

Or as kits, where you just have the blade itself (and some come with the bolts, too):

Szco Swept Blade –

ColdLand Hand Forged Damascus –

Katsura Santoku Knife Kit

What ever style you decide to create, practice first, take it slow, and enjoy the process. Whether it’s a knife you carry or a knife you gift, it will be a treasure to the owner.

Mystery Artist 46 – McAlexander VII

Posted on by Andrew Perkins
Mystery Artist 46 - Bison (American buffalo) on antler button signed McAlexander VII
Click on picture to bring to full size.

A Bolo tie with a scrimshawed bison (American buffalo). On the back is scribed “McAlexander VII VII”. 1977? Epoxied connector on the back, braided leather tie, antler tips. Waiting on geographic location, but wanted to get the pics up in case anyone knows the artist. Any clues? Feel free to let us know in the comments below.

Questions Answered, 2018-12-30

Posted on by Andrew Perkins

Q:  Could you tell me the basics when looking at “antique” scrimshaw? – Richard S.

A: Antique scrimshaw can be difficult to discern, but it’s often less detailed than modern scrimshaw.  Many examples of modern scrimshaw can be seen at the facebook site “scrimshaw collectors guild“, where many modern artists show their work. 
 Antique scrimshaw is often discolored, with the grain and crazing showing through.  That being said, a lot of modern scrimshaw is done on antique ivory, especially billiard balls. A close look at the crazing (cracks) should show whether the scrimshaw was done over the cracks (modern on antique ivory), or was done, then the ivory aged.  As to whale teeth, many replicas, known as “fakeshaw” abound, and there are still kits available with blank faux whale’s teeth.  If you have any piece on hand or are interested in getting a once-over, the aforementioned Facebook site would be a place to start.  Also, there is a book titled “Fakeshaw” available through Amazon.com and possibly other places – the price varies greatly from 22.50 to over $100.  Possibly available from a local library.Finally, you may want to
 look on flickr.com for scrimshaw, where there are many pictures from museums, and pinterest.com – though both pinterest will show a whole range from ancient to modern.
 One other place to study ivory in general would be to look on http://www.internationalivorysociety.org/, the International Ivory Society, who is working to at least make mammoth ivory legal in all states once again, as well as reining in the runaway train that has stopped everything from bagpipes to violin bows from crossing the border for use in orchestras, bands and other musical venues.