Cork screw

[JGill]

They are demolishing some old row houses in Baltimore next the the City Arts job site I am on and the foreman found this corkscres and asked me if I could tell him if it was ivory or plastic. Well I couldn't but I thought maybe someone out there could tell how to test for ivory. Here are some pictures I thought it was a cool find. It came up in the rubble pile what are the chances huh?

 

[JGill]

Here is another pictue

 

[JGill]

and one more

 

[cyberdigger]

Hi Jerry, nice to see you on the board again! That is one exquisite artifact he picked up.. that close-up of the face.. almost looks ..alive! I would suspect ivory, but don't know to test.. I wouldn't want to damage it in the slightest way to find out, either..

 

[JGill]

Hey Charlie good to be back on. I haven't had much luck digging lately but now that the weather is changing I'll be back at it and posting. I did get to the Baltimore Bottle Club show at the Commuity College of Baltimore @ Essesx campus. WOW! Talk about overload. But it was a great show and the bottles and people were amazing. Loved it. About the corkscrew I told the foreman I'd post the pictures and see if anyone knows how to tell if its ivory or not. The old row homes were built in the 1900-1910s looked around for privys but did's see any.

 

[coreya]

Ivory will yellow with age, see the following to test for ivory and pay close attention to the last part. that does not look like ivory but test it as its hard to tell from a picture.

Step 1 Use a needle that has a very fine, sharp point. Hold the point of the needle over the flame of a lighter until it glows red hot.

Step 2 Press the glowing-hot needle against a portion of the piano key that is least visible, in case of damage.

Step 3 If the needle melts a tiny hole into the piano key or piece, it is made of plastic or some other type of synthetic substance. Unlike plastic, an ivory key cannot be penetrated.

The Ultraviolet Light and Magnifying Glass Test
Step 1 Hold an ultraviolet light above the piano keys or ivory. If they are made of ivory, the keys will luminesce either white or with a violet-blue color (See Ref. 1).

Step 2 Use the magnifying glass to look even closer. Ivory contains Schreger Lines (See Ref. 1), which will appear as a tiny pattern within the ivory, not unlike a fingerprint.

 

[GuntherHess]

A red hot needle will burn ivory and it will smell like hair burning.
That's an amazing corkscrew

 

[TJSJHART]

yeah the hot needle trick is what popped into to my dirty little mind ...something to do with a tusk is close to hair in relation to body parts.. just do it in a place not noticeable and maybe with your friend there... and thats a great find

 

[cobaltbot]

Either way that's cool, hope its ivory.

 

[beendiggin]

I think that there are other ways to tell if it's ivory without putting a pin into it. I read somewhere recently that that's old school. Find out what it is by bringing it to a collector or dealer, maybe an auction house, etc. I wouldn't want to lose any value of such an incredibly intricate item like that. The details are super. Great find. That should bring decent money if you are selling it. No offense meant to anyone who suggested that method, but I think it could hurt the value.