How To Re-Ink Faded or Missing Scrimshawed Images on Ivory

I recently obtained a small antique whale tooth displaying a minor scrimshawed scene of a ship on water. The image was quite finely scribed, and only faintly visible. I planned to revive this minor scrimwork, and solicited feedback from collectors & scrimshanders who may have experience with re-inking scrimshaw.  I received a few direct e-mails on this subject, with various advice and suggestions: some complicated; some simple.  Here are four simple steps that provided the results below: 1.)  I gently cleaned the ivory surface with denatured alcohol on a cotton cloth; 2.)  Using a Q-tip, I carefully applied a thin layer of Cotman Lamp Black #337 over the image, which dried quite rapidly; 3.)  Using only a slightly damp paper towel, I gradually wiped-off the tint, guarding against removing too much; 4.)  I continually wiped clean, damp areas of the paper towel across the smooth ivory, until all excess tint was removed.

Re-Inked, Restored Scrimshaw

Original, Faded Image (Pre-Inking)

The entire procedure from cleaning to final wipe-down took less than 10-minutes.  The re-inked image is improved, but not as dark as I would like.  Using an oil-based tint may very well provide darker tint in the scribe lines, but removing the tint from the polished areas will require considerably more effort. Because Cotman is a water-based paste tint, it can be completely removed with a little water & a soft tooth brush. Cotman Lamp Black #337 is a Gum Arabic & Dextrin-based, water-soluble, tube paste tint.

HOME