Hi,

I have a set of warthog tusks awaiting mounting, shot 2011 in RSA and only gone through pack and dip. I am starting to see small chips breakng off from the top teeth, without good reason. Any suggestions what I can do to stop the process? Can I oil them? Fill them with white candle wax?

All help greatly appreciated!!!

As soon as you receive your warthog tusks you should fill the cavity. This will help prevent cracking. You can use hot glue, fiberglass resin, pourable plastic etc...

I have not used wax but that should work too.

Then oil the tusks with meneral oil.

This will prevent most cracks but not all. Sometimes they will get splits in them, especially the lower tusks. glue/epoxy as needed.

It might help to fill them with an epoxy adhesive, a type that is thin enough to pour into them.
If they crack all the way into two pieces , you can epoxy them back together and then repair the seams with epoxy (puddy) or apoxie sculpt and then paint. That's the way I do it.

I tried a method once on pig tusks. Stuff cotton wool down there and pour in some cooking oil. Then plug the top with wax. Sounds good right....nope still dried out and cracked. I now just fill them with resin. No problems since.

Thanks for all the advice! What exactly is resin, anyway? How can I get some?

I do not know about Norway but here in the US any of the large hardware or auto/marine stores will carry fiberglass resin. You mix in a hardener that comes with the resin and pour it into the tusk cavity and let it set up. A two part epoxy would work fine too, as does hot glue.

My understanding is that by filling the void, you reduce the natural expansion/shrinking that can occur thus decreasing the chance for cracks. Anything that fills that cavity and does not move should do the trick.

i think they crack because they dry out...so, with hog teeth, i fill the cavity with epoxy and clear coat the outside. never had any problems.

After reading this, I checked my tusks and found one lower and one upper were cracked (splitting). I filled them all with resin and coated the outsides with satin Varathane. Hoping for the best!

Hugh