These real ivory ?

[shawnba67]

Got these on a pretty cheap pistol, it was old though. Any way the proof will be in the pictures so here we go

[bouncer50]

One way i test is to heat a needle up. If it melt into it then it fake. That how i check bone handle knifes surprise how many fake their are.

[Nueces]

Looks like plastic to me. But it's old plastic!

[wlc]

The one pic looks like it to me. Looks like they have growth rings like a tree does. Ivory does that as well. I'd try the hot needle test on the "backside".

[pietro]

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If you perform the hot needle trick, as posted above, on the grip's inside surface, there'll be no speculation as to whether the grips are Ivory or a synthetic.


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[bedbugbilly]

+1 to what has already been said ....and let us know please . . . after seeing your photos, I'm curious as heck!

[shawnba67]

Well we have a winner! I had never heard of the hot needle trick. I had a wood screw handy heated it with a lighter til almost to hot to hold and pressed into the grip and ......Nothing at all ! Touched a plastic box after and screw was still hot enough to dimple it.
Ok next question, these came on a belgian Texas ranger pistol that doesn't even fire. Where and as what might give them a repurposed value? ( hate to leave ivory grips on a junk pistol)

[wlc]

If you don't have another handgun that they could be refitted for then you could use them for knife scales.

[waksupi]

Due to new federal laws, you are limited in what you can do with them. Ideally, sell them to someone with a pistol they fit, for highest dollar. Regardless, do check into legal problems first.

[Whiterabbit]

how can you tell if it is bone vs ivory? Cow femur these days are basically an industrial commodity.

[Zouave 58]

We used to use a paper clip with a tip heated red hot pressed into the material; natural material will smoke and smell like burnt hair, plastic will simply melt and turn to goo. Depending on how it was cut ivory will have a grain structure like a tree as has been said, sometimes showing as dark blue or black veining. Bone tends to have light yellow pattern if it has any at all.

[trapper9260]

When I was in Kenya when I was in the navy the guide there told us how to check if it is ivory is ask the person first that you will be buying it form and to use a lighter to do the test like was stated with the needle and if they say no then walk away.Because he said that if it is ivory it will just have some soot on it and then you can just wipe it away.But I like the needle trick better when you are at home that is unless you have away of doing away form home.thanks for the other way to test.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

I told guy the ivory on a Colt SAA .44 Special he was considering buying was imitation. The seller accepted the price of the Colt based on the grips being imitation. I was wrong, didn't know about the hot needle trick back then. My friend got a real good deal on a Colt SAA with real ivory grips.

To my defense, someone had roughed up the ivory grips with what looked like a horse shoe file, probably to provide a better grip on the Colt when shooting it.

[Multigunner]

The Belgian made "Texas Ranger" revolver could be bought with Ivory grips.


"Western style" revolver TEXAS RANGER, caliber .38 Special. Made by unknown Belgian manufacturer(s). A copy of Spanish EIBAR Model 1929 revolver. Standard model with wooden grip panels. Some more expensive variations had bone or even ivory grip panels.

Double action westion style pistols like these were sometimes used in motion pictures to double for the Colt SAA in scenes where the actor is supposed to be fanning the pistol.
http://guns.connect.fi/gow/QA18.html

[shawnba67]

Well maybe they are factory? Seems silly as the gun is so cheaply made they aren't even both the same size! But hey those crazy Belgians can do what they want I guess

[fouronesix]

Judging by the photos they are not plastic so likely either bone or ivory. Hot needle shows they are not plastic but may be either bone or ivory. Ivory will have a very fine grain hatched structure to it and no porosity. Bone can have a look similar to the photos toward the exterior surface but will have some visual porosity toward the interior. Look closely at the rough finished inside surface of the grips. If there is porosity, chances are it's bone. If not, then could be ivory. Either way, there is definitely age patina to the grips.

In the upper right photo, adjacent to the finger and near the edge, it appears there is some of that fine grained hatched pattern- so IMO, most likely ivory.

Here's a portion of the photo that shows that cross grain hatch pattern that is usually associated with ivory, not bone.