After bleaching ivories regularly for many years I have given up the practice and do not recommend it. Recently I had discussions with a veteran ivory installer as well as a museum conservator about this very subject. Though a 30% peroxide solution will do the job, the danger of compromising the glue joint is high because you must keep the ivory wet for too long a period of time. Ivory is very hygroscopic as is the hide glue which is traditionally used to glue the ivories down. Further, because the joint between the head and tail is not bound by glue (the glue is actually kept away from the joint by about 1/16" during the initial gluing process to keep the joint invisible) the water from the peroxide can seep into the joint causing tenting, loosening of the ivory from the joint, or uneveness at the joint. If you must, the best way to take the yellow out of old ivories is to sand them lightly and buff them to get the type of sheen that you want making sure not to let the buffing wheel get them too hot. In terms of the aesthetic; my current attitude is that the ivories are antique works of art. If they are in otherwise good shape, what's a little yellowing. The potential of having them start to pop off in order to get them "whiter than white" is simply not worth it. David Love _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
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