Frequently Asked Questions
How
much do repairs cost ?
How do you get the item to me ?
Do I paint the repaired part ?
Do I have references ?
Is the repair work guaranteed ?
Do I buy broken ivories ?
Can I tell you what your ivory is
worth ?
Is your ivory worth repairing ?
Your
ivory statue has a hairline crack in its face. Can it be made invisible ?
Do I sell ivories ?
Do I work on anything
other than ivory ?
How can you learn more about ivory
?
How long does it take to fix
your object ?
Where do I ship my item for repair
?
How
much do repairs cost
?
Costs are influenced by the time
needed to do the repair and the amount of materials required. To carve a
Japanese Naginata pole arm for a large Meiji Okimono is a lot more complicated
and expensive than a simple spear for a Chinese ivory prince of the same size.
It is almost impossible to estimate repair costs until I actually have the item
at my shop for evaluation. In the comparison given here, the Chinese spear could
cost $50.00 and the Japanese pole arm might be $150.00. My hourly rate varies
from $75 to $125 per hour depending on the complexity of the work. Most minor repairs are done in an hour or less.
Once an item arrives, I will evaluate the problems and contact the customer. At that point, I can usually offer an accurate estimate for repair. Many times, the customer does not realize the piece has other damage or missing parts. Having worked on innumerable ivories, I scrutinize each piece carefully. Ivories are cleaned of dirt and dust unless the customer specifies otherwise. Old glue or other materials that do not belong on the ivory are also removed. If a customer opts to not have the item repaired, it will be carefully repacked and returned. The customer is responsible for shipping costs.
How
do you get the item to me ?
Carefully packed in tissue and
bubble wrap and double boxed is the safest method. The piece needs to be well
padded from shock and impact. Bigger boxes are better than smaller tight fitting
boxes. UPS or Postal Service Priority mail are the most common methods used by
clients. Insure as appropriate and advise me of insurance requested for return.
Once I have shipped a repaired item, any damage or claim will be between the
customer and the shipper. Another option for the customer shipping very valuable
or delicate items is to use a shipping service. I only do business in the United
States.
Do
you paint the repaired part
?
Yes and no. Let me explain.
There is a technique for repairing ivory as follows: Missing parts are molded or
cast in a man-made material. They are attached to the ivory, shaped and
smoothed. They are then painted, usually by airbrush and given a clear coat. I
DO NOT USE THIS TECHNIQUE, although it is generally fast and inexpensive. The
reason I do not use this technique is that it looks BAD. The repair looks like a
painted surface, not ivory. Much detail is lost. These repairs are easily
spotted to the trained eye.
I DO REPAIR AS FOLLOWS: I will select a piece of the appropriate type of ivory (there are several types, all different) to match the original item for density, grain direction and color. I will carve the ivory in the matching style of the original and attach it to the object with a tight or nearly invisible seam. It will be polished, aged and colored to match the original item. Any seam or joint showing will be "feathered over" with a very small amount of paint in a dry brush technique. Tiny cracks and seams are filled with special materials and hidden the same way. Large splits and cracks are filled with actual ivory. The repair looks like ivory because it is ivory.
Do
I have references ?
Yes, available on request. I do
repair work for some of the major dealers and collectors of fine ivory in the
United States.
Is
the repair work guaranteed
?
I guarantee to do the best
possible repair I can do at reasonable cost and in a timely fashion. I will also
pack the item in a very secure method. On
occasion, a completed item arrives at the client’s location and has been
damaged in shipment. Shipping damage is resolved between the shipper and the
customer. My business is based on customer satisfaction, "word of
mouth" referrals and providing a consistently good product.
Do
I buy broken ivories
?
Yes. I am constantly buying
damaged ivories for repair material or to repair and resell. Sometimes a client
has an ivory that is not worth fixing do to lower quality, extensive damage or
missing parts. I will pay a fair price for quality, damaged ivories and scrap
rates for low quality or raw legal ivory. I also buy tusks and other materials.
Can
I tell you what your ivory is worth
?
I am not an appraiser, but can
offer my opinion if a piece is of high quality or not, and a very rough idea of
value, if it is in my hand for study. Most photos are pretty useless in
evaluating quality or value. I won’t venture to evaluate netsuke at all.
Is
your ivory worth repairing ?
Sometimes the answer is no. When
the repair cost and your original purchase price do not meet current market
prices, why would you repair the item ? If the item is a family heirloom that
means something very special to you, then a repair may be correct, because the
dollar value is not important. If you are seeking the absolute cheapest repair
just to sell the item and make a few bucks, you are at the wrong place. Try the
putty and paint repair guys.
Your
ivory statue has a hairline crack in its face. Can it be made invisible ?
No. No repair is really
invisible. Facial cracks are especially hard to conceal. They can be cleaned,
bleached, filled and colored, but they will still be there. The putty and paint
technique covers cracks well, but they look like painted doll faces. They can
re-crack and change color in time. Cracks in ivory are a natural and sometimes
desirable. They can indicate great age, if they have not been artificially
induced.
Do
I sell ivories ?
Yes. On occasion I buy very nice
collections and individual pieces of ivory or other works of art. Restoration
work is done if needed and the items will be listed for sale on this site or
through other sites like ebay.
Do
I work on anything other than ivory ?
Yes. I work in other natural
materials including bone, whalebone, horn, antler and wood. Carvings and inlay
replacement are typical. I restrict my work to smaller "bench top"
items. No large furniture pieces.
How
can you learn more about ivory ?
Read, go to antique shows,
museums and auctions. Talk to collectors and dealers. Learn about the types of
ivory and the carving styles. Don’t start buying until you have done the above
extensively. The International Ivory Society is a great resource for
information. They hold meetings and seminars and issue frequent newsletters.
Founder and Director Bob Weisblut can be contacted at rweisblut@yahoo.com.
He is THE expert on all types of ivory and will get you on the mailing list of
the ISS. Best of all, membership is free.
How
long does it take to fix your object ?
Typical repairs are completed in 2 weeks or less. 90% of my customers are dealers and cannot afford to have
repairs drag on for months. If repairs need more time I will contact you.
Where do I ship my item for repair
?
All items shipped for repair should be sent
to :
The Japanese Repository
7705 Northwest 18th Court
Margate, Florida 33063