Tortoise shell

So I have been looking for a place to find genuine tortoise shell, then learned it's illegal to use new stuff.

Now, I just so happen to have a very large and very old tortoise carapace, with shell scales approaching a sq foot.

Here is a picture with my phone on top of it for scale reference.


My problem is that they seem to be attached to ribcage pretty firmly, and I have no idea how to remove them without damaging them.

Anyone know how this is done?

With a sawzall,thats how I did it.

I may be mistaken but that looks like a sea turtle shell.

It is,they did not use tortoise as we know it,was actually large sea turtle.

Good to know, I have seen some in junk shops, is this something the restorers could use?

I wish I knew,I brought one back from mexico maybe 30 yrs ago,cut it up but it just fell apart,sort of like in veneers.
Maybe they somehow bonded it together,not a clue.

Yeah, it is a sea turtle, but if you look closely, it has exactly the pattern on it that we call tortoise shell

I guess I'll give it a go with my dremel, as I dont have a sawzall

Is there a way to flatten the shell? It would make more of it useable

If you heat the layers up - in water, and then press them together under some good even pressure - the layers will bond. Gaps in the shell can be filled in the same way.
I don't know exactly how to describe it - but the shell gets kinda gooey when it's hot and wet. (don't go there).
Sea Turtle shell is not unlike human hair... you probably found that out when cutting it... it stinks like burning hair.
Personally - I would love to get my hands on another couple of pieces.. I would try a set of scales, and make a few guitar picks. I only have about 6 shell picks left and you can't just go out and buy them anymore. The only legal way to make anything from sea turtle is to use an old shell (or an old thing that was made from shell) that was around before the ban.

Gamma described very well. I would steam, instead of boil myself and does sound like he has more experience. I have only worked on existing scales, havent processed from raw. Gooey is a pretty good description.Be prepared for a stench worse than horn. I would say similar to a neglected mens room urinal. Place your shell between two hardwood boards and clamp together with C-clamps. Let sit for a few days to cool and setup. If you don't want woodgrain imprint, put something smooth like g10 between shell and boards.

dirtychrome said:

If you don't want woodgrain imprint, put something smooth like g10 between shell and boards.

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Or....conversely, this would be a fun opportunity to press a design/manufacturer name into the scales

Kavik79 said:

Or....conversely, this would be a fun opportunity to press a design/manufacturer name into the scales

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Now that is a fantastic idea
I'm going for a 7 day set, so here would be a golden opportunity for imprinting the days
I wonder if you could press a piece of brass into them during this process, I would like to cut out the day names in brass and press those into the shell. That would be pretty neat

This process would be terrific to document with photos.

Jim said:

This process would be terrific to document with photos.

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Oh yeah

Rsq said:

Now that is a fantastic idea
I'm going for a 7 day set, so here would be a golden opportunity for imprinting the days
I wonder if you could press a piece of brass into them during this process, I would like to cut out the day names in brass and press those into the shell. That would be pretty neat

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Mind you, this is all speculation on my part as I've never done it before.....but I think you could press the words in, and once it's dry pope them out, polish them up and epoxy them back together. The only thing I'd worry about is how cleanly it would press in? Is it soft enough to sink in completely? Or would you end up with beveled depressions?

And if it is beveled, is that a bad thing? would it work? or would you want to fill will clear epoxy to cover the brass and make the whole thing flush?

Definitely worth a test run on a small scrap of it though

Just a guess... you'd get a rounded impression... the shell gets gooey but not runny.. still solid but pliable..

Jim said:

This process would be terrific to document with photos.

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Will do

I'll try the impression on a small piece, but if it doesnt work I can always use a piece of paper and file it out of one slice, back it with another, and inlay it into filed piece

Does anyone know how much something like this is worth? I dont need an exact number, I just want to make sure that the value I'm destroying is not greater than the value I'm adding.

It might worth a pretty penny depending on the species but unless you can prove it came to you pre-ban I would be afraid to try to sell it, as the penalties are pretty steep...

Cannot deal in tortoise shell no matter how old it is,The ban is 100%

I believe there are exemptions...but I'm not all that conversant here.
What I think is that no matter what - International trade is not permitted. Outside of the USA - ownership of a preban item neccessitates that you have a CITES document that proves the item was made before the ban. The minute you alter that item, it is no longer covered under the document. And - you can't trade or sell the item.
Here in the USA - between states - the rules are sort of similar. You can own a pre-ban Hawksbill turtle thingamabob (but I don't know if you need a document to prove it was preban or what) - but you can't alter it, and you still can't sell it or trade it overseas. I do think you can sell the item in the USA though - with a transfer of the document.
I could be mistaken about some or all of the above - And I wonder sometimes - why I can't recycle a broken compact or box from the 1920s into a few picks is beyond me - seems nuts to be honest.
I see that photo at the top of the page - I don't know if that's a Hawksbill turtle shell or not. I beleive the ban is on Hawksbill turtle exclusively. So - that might be a safe carapace to cut up. If it is Hawksbill - I'm extremely jealous.. beyond words actually.