For the sake of simplicity and common understanding, I will refer to B. zeyheri<\/em> as Pink Ivory for here forward.<\/p>\n The heartwood of Pink Ivory ranges in color from a pale brownish pink, to a bright, almost neon pink, to a deep red. Typically the most valuable pieces of Pink Ivory are a vibrant pink. Pink Ivory can commonly be seen with a curly or fiddleback grain pattern, further enhancing its visual impact. Sapwood of Pink Ivory tends to be pale yellow to light brown, with a somewhat gradual demarcation from heartwood. Color changes in Pink Ivory (becoming faded or dull over time) can be problematic and are not fully understood.<\/p>\n The grain of Pink Ivory is straight to interlocked with a fine even texture with good natural luster.<\/p>\n Pink Ivory is rated as durable to very durable regarding decay resistance. Pink Ivory is said to have excellent weathering characteristics though it is seldom used in applications where this would be an issue.<\/p>\n Pink Ivory has a pronounced blunting effect on cutting edges, and it’s fairly difficult to work in board form. Tearout can occur on figured or quartersawn sections during planing. Pink Ivory is much more common in applications involving carving or turning, and it turns and finishes well.<\/p>\n Pink Ivory has a distinct and somewhat unpleasant odor when being worked.<\/p>\n Reputed to be a scarce commodity, Pink Ivory is typically very expensive, usually on par with Gaboon Ebony, another pricey African import.<\/p>\n In this blog, I almost always recommend several vendors with whom I have done considerable business and in whom I have great confidence. These vendors are: West Penn Hardwoods<\/a>, Bell Forest Products<\/a>, NC Wood<\/a>, WoodTurningz<\/a>, Amazon Exotic Hardwoods<\/a>, Griffin Exotic Wood<\/a>, Exotic Woods USA<\/a>, Got Wood?<\/a>, and Wood Turning Blanks 4U<\/a>.<\/p>\n At this time, West Penn Hardwoods, WoodTurningz and Exotic Woods USA are the only vendors offering bowl blank sizes, ranging in size from 8 x 8 x 2 for $63 (WPH) to 5 x 5 x 3 for $60 (WT) and 6 x 6 x 2 for $76 (EWU). Bell Forest Products offers only pen blank sizes while Griffin Exotic Woods offers a wide range of spindle sizes.<\/p>\n Woodfinder<\/a> is an excellent website that is dedicated to advertising wood dealers. In your search for Pink Ivory this can be an invaluable resource provided you use multiple search terms to capture all the possible listings. I can’t speak to the quality of any of the listed dealers, but Woodfinder does have the advantage of allowing searches to be performed based on location which might allow an interested buyer to visit a listed wood dealer in person to hand pick pieces at a comfortable price.<\/p>\n A significant problem with using Woodfinder is that many vendors are listed for woods that, upon further investigation, they do not offer. I don’t know if perhaps once they did and they didn’t update their listings or if some vendors use a standardized list of woods that include most everything conceivable with the idea that once you land on their page you will find something you want to buy even if you didn’t know it beforehand. It happens to me all the time!<\/p>\n Pink Ivory finds use is such items as: carving, veneers, inlay, knife handles, billiard cues, chessmen, and other turned objects.<\/p>\n Pink Ivory is NOT listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices<\/a> nor is it listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.<\/a><\/p>\n To the best of my knowledge, the United States government does not place any restrictions on Pink Ivory.<\/p>\n I realize that inherent in working with wood is the killing of a part of the natural world that may be slow to return and if I become deeply concerned about this fact, I will have to find a new hobby. I hope that such a time does not come to pass or at least not any time soon. In part because I am concerned about legally and responsibly obtained wood, I am reluctant to buy from sellers outside of well-established and known vendors. I am highly unlikely, for example, to purchase any wood from auction sites, such as Ebay, because of uncertain sourcing and documentation, as well as the potential, even likelihood, of material being misidentified in order to achieve a higher selling price.<\/p>\n However, due to the commercial scarcity of some woods, resorting to auction sites such as Ebay or Etsy may be the only way to obtain some desirable domestic, or in some cases exotic imported, species that are not routinely commercially harvested. The potential risks of buying in these marketplaces have to be balanced against the desire to work with a specific species of wood. That is inherently an individual decision.<\/p>\n I also realize that many, if not most, wood workers do not have endangered species lists memorized, therefore I think it worthwhile and important to do even a small amount of research before purchasing any lumber, domestic as well as imported, to be certain of the potential impact you are having, even in a small way, on threatened or endangered populations. This information is easy to come by and takes only minutes to locate through any Internet search engine, including those you can access on your phone as you are standing in the lumber yard or store. Unfortunately, you simply cannot count on a vendor to tell you a product they are selling is endangered.<\/p>\n Aside from the standard health risks associated with any type of wood dust, Pink Ivory has not been reported to cause any negative health effects.<\/p>\n It is important to remember that although many people may, or may not, be sensitive to any given wood, the only experience that truly counts is your own, so use reported side effects as guidance but not as a substitute for cautious and safe practices.<\/p>\n Appropriate protective equipment is therefore always recommended when working with this, or any other, wood, exotic or domestic, unless you have worked with the species before and are certain you are not sensitive to it.<\/p>\n Complete information about health hazards<\/a> associated with a wide variety of exotic hardwoods is available from The Wood Database<\/a>. Additional information about how to best use a dust collection system and personal protective equipment, such as respirators, can also be found through this excellent and comprehensive resource.<\/a><\/p>\n Fortunately, I experienced no significant difficulties while working with Pink Ivory.<\/p>\n This was my first time working with Pink Ivory in a bowl blank size although I have used Pink Ivory pen blanks. I found Pink Ivory to be incredibly dense and hard but that also meant that it cut relatively cleanly although it did require some serious clean up sanding across the cross grain areas. Pink Ivory sanded beautifully as well and it took the final finish easily and evenly.<\/p>\n My piece of Pink Ivory did have some slight degree of ribbon curl which is a nice added feature. My Pink Ivory blank also had a natural void due to a knot and a noticeable check on the reverse but I don’t find that these “flaws” reduce the beauty of the finished piece.<\/p>\n Pink Ivory 7 x 2<\/p><\/div>\n I was nervous about working with the Pink Ivory because it represents, easily, the most expensive wood per inch that I have in my stocks so I really didn’t want to screw it up. It started as a green turn because I wasn’t sure how dry it was when it arrived from West Penn Hardwoods, but in hindsight I do think it was quite dry to begin with and it certainly was dry by the time I finished it today.<\/p>\n I have more Pink Ivory in my wood stocks and I don’t think I would spend the money on it again simply because there are lots of equally beautiful and colorful woods that don’t come so dear in price. I am quite pleased to have the opportunity to work with the Pink Ivory and would encourage anyone who can afford it to give Pink Ivory a try.<\/p>\n All cuts were made using the Easy Wood Tool<\/a> system on my Robust American Beauty<\/a> lathe. Forward chucking was in a Nova Chuck<\/a>, while reverse chucking was done using a Nova Chuck with Cole Jaws. Sanding was with Gold and Green Wave sanding discs from Packard Woodworks<\/a>. Final finish is Shellawax.<\/a><\/p>\n As always, I wish all my readers a great experience in whatever your wood working interests happen to be and to those who like working with lathes especially, do a good turn today!<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Geographic Distribution: The wood commonly known as Pink Ivory is known to botanists and other scientists as Berchemia zeyheri. B. zeyheri grows predominantly in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Northern Botswana and South Africa. B. zeyheri is protected and sustainably maintained in South Africa, only felled by very limited permit. For the sake of simplicity and common understanding, I will refer to B. zeyheri as Pink Ivory for here forward. General Characteristics: The heartwood of Pink Ivory ranges in color from a pale brownish pink, to a bright, almost neon pink, to a deep red. Typically the most valuable pieces of Pink Ivory are a <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":175,"featured_media":3602,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[135,128,136,137,129,138,139,130],"tags":[144,154,168,171,176,181,188,195,200,221,230,239,240,241],"yoast_head":"\nGeneral Characteristics:<\/h2>\n
Working Characteristics:<\/h2>\n
Pricing and Availability:<\/h2>\n
Common Uses:<\/h2>\n
Sustainability:<\/h2>\n
Health Hazards:<\/h2>\n
My Personal Experiences:<\/h2>\n