Craft snippets – Scrimshaw with Angus Milne

Sally reports back from Craft snippets at Upper Riccarton Library which featured guest, scrimshander, Gus Milne on Wednesday 26 March at 6.30pm. 

It was great to see so many come along to hear Gus Milne, The Cressy Scrimshaw, talk about being a scrimshander.

The history of scrimshaw

The art of scrimshanding started with the whalers in the 1700s. It was primarily what occupied sailors while they were searching for whales. They would use their jack knife and sail makers needle and etch into whale’s teeth, which is ivory. Sailors mostly etched familiar whaling scenes, their ships and ‘the girl back home’. Some original works are quite naïve, the sailors were not artists and were filling in time using elementary tools. Old antique scrimshaw can get worn and the images are sometimes unclear. They can be reinked, but that can take away some of the authenticity of the piece.

An interest in ships turns to scrimshaw

Gus became interested in scrimshanding while living in the United States and attending model shows in Arkansas. He had always had an interest in sailing ships and their rigging and in his spare time he used to build sailing ships inside light bulbs. On his return from the United States, he met a work colleague who was ex-Navy and was wearing a bone necklace with a picture of a sailing ship etched on to it. The two of them found they had a common interest in scrimshaw.

The friend was interested in two whale’s teeth being auctioned in Wellington and paid $3000 for the teeth, which in 1983 was very expensive. Not being able to afford that kind of money Gus purchased a ‘clean’ or ‘raw’ whale tooth but didn’t want to try scrimshanding on the tooth until he had practised on beef bone. Once he started etching on to the whale’s tooth, he found it was very forgiving and could be ‘inked’ numerous times and not spoil. Gus’s techniques improved over the years, and he was able to source more teeth from auctions and antique shops – his collecting started.

Restrictions around trade in ivory

There are regulations around ivory. If you have ivory in New Zealand or it belongs to you or your family, you can do anything with it except export it. If people want to send you ivory internationally, then that is difficult. Even old pianos with ivory keys, are difficult to import. You need to be able to prove that the items comply with the CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and obtain the relevant permission.

Varieties of ivory

Fossilized walrus and mammoth ivory are available from the northern polar regions and often has a patina through being in the ground for thousands of years. Once it is polished it can return to its original ivory colour and its enhanced patina. More mammoth ivory is being found due to the ice melt. Because it is extinct and not an endangered species it can be exported and imported.

Another ivory used is walrus tusks. Inuit used walrus tusk for tools such as fishing weights, sled runners, and fire lighting. They would throw the broken bits in to rubbish tips. The broken bits are now being dug up and scrimshanded. Inuits have their own style of scrimshanding, usually etching animals.

Gus talked about how John F. Kennedy made scrimshaw popular in the 1960s when he started collecting it. He had a special piece on his desk in the Oval Office that was buried with him when he died.

Holding a whale's tooth in your hand...

Gus passed around some whale’s teeth for us to hold and feel. The teeth are quite heavy and cool to the touch. The tooth from a Sperm whale is quite rough and needs to be polished to a very smooth finish before you start etching. The ink when applied will pick up the slightest imperfection. The ivory is quite soft, so you don’t need to apply a lot of pressure when you are etching.

Specialised tools and the scrimshanding process

Gus uses an optivisor to be able to see the detailed work. Some people use microscopes. To sand the ivory, he starts with 80 grit sandpaper and moves up to 2000 grit sandpaper. The piece is then finished off with Renaissance wax developed by the British Museum to preserve the ivory and other treasures. 

Gus starts by sketching with a high carbon pencil. He then uses only two tools for the etching, a scalpel which he has to sharpen every 20 minutes, and a pin vice with a sharpened needle. The pin vice gives a stippled photographic image effect. He then uses a small paint brush with a good quality ink. The ink is easy to clean off with saliva during the process, a tip Gus learned from an old scrimshander. Gus generally uses black ink but has started to introduce some coloured ink and gold leaf to his work. It depends on how detailed a piece is as to how long it might take, this also makes it difficult to value a work. It depends on how many hours and days Gus has spent making it.

Piano keys as a canvas

Due to the restrictions on ivory, it is a probably a dying art. Gus had a eureka moment however 3 years ago and began using piano key ivory. Three piano keys in a row (‘triptych’) gives a decent scope for etching, it is around the same area as an average tooth and is a good flat surface to work on. Gus works with a joiner who uses the wood to make furniture and gives Gus the ivory. Piano keys were made from elephant ivory up to around 1920 in Europe and 1930s in the USA. They can be polished to a high finish.

Gus handed around some of his work. A tooth with a picture of a Lyttelton tug on it and some of his piano keys art.

Gus regularly exhibits his work in art shows and has won awards, most recently the Craigs Aspiring Art Prize supreme award prize in Wanaka. Gus says scrimshanding seems to appeal because it is different, uses recycled materials and is a dying art. The piano keys ‘struck a chord’ with the judges. He will be showing his work at the upcoming Christchurch Art Show at Te Pae.

Craft events, and new titles

Roundup of what’s on the crafting calendar

Sally did a round up of crafty events happening around Ōtautahi.

• Ghosts On Every Corner Ghostcat solo exhibition at the Arts Centre. 29 March – 30 April.
• Festival of Fibres at Rangi Ruru School. 10-13 April
• The Great New Zealand Quilt Show at the Airforce Museum. 16-18 May.
• FLARE Street Art Festival. Check out the map and visit the new murals painted in the city.
• New op shop – Flourish – 455 Colombo street – all money goes towards pregnancy choice.
• Knitting for the Kiwi Family Trust will be handed over on 7 May. If you have been involved thank you all for you knitting.
• Makers & Creators Market at Waitakiri School Hall in Burwood. Saturday 5 April.
• Knit & Gather North Canterbury, Skurr Centre, Rangiora. Various events.
• WoolFeast Christchurch, Pioneer Stadium. Sunday 8 June.
• Our next Craft Snippets event Furoshiki with Ayumi Hirata on Wednesday 28 May, Upper Riccarton Library

Latest craft titles

Angela showed us the new crafting books and magazines. Check out our list of what was on display. You can put a hold on any of these items.

List created by CraftSnippets

Items shared at our March 2025 gathering

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