Reproduction Elephant Tusks

[TTundra]

They look great!

A question on the bases though. How did he get the grain to perfectly match on the African continent cutout as on the background piece? It looks as if its a perfect "pushout" matching the grain on two different levels.

 

[Edge]

Outstanding! And worth every penny! I’ll bet you dream of the hunt every time you see them!

Yes, I relive that hunt every single day!

What is the word on importing tusks just out of curiosity? Those are beautiful.

I believe a hearing or court date was pending end of April in regards to importation, imagine it has been delayed. Will see if I can find dig up any additional details.

Ed those look very nice, thank you for sharing the details of getting them made to the costs of getting them home. As a wood/metal worker please pass a job well done to the gentleman that turned crate wood into a nice set of bases!

My wife passed on your comments to him, replied “wow, one mention in a world renowned blog and I feel famous” !

He’s a good guy and his work is impeccable, we were honored he took on the project.

They look great!

A question on the bases though. How did he get the grain to perfectly match on the African continent cutout as on the background piece? It looks as if its a perfect "pushout" matching the grain on two different levels.

He’s good! He passed on to us “it is a push out cut with a scroll saw at about a 2 degree angle”.

 

[postoak]

So your tusks remain at the taxidermy in Africa indefinitely? Are they charging a storage fee?

 

[edward]

by the way,i also like the giraffe.

 

[Edge]

So your tusks remain at the taxidermy in Africa indefinitely? Are they charging a storage fee?

I don’t believe Taxidermy Studios are charging for storage, mine are not in storage and on display. I may see them in person again next year, TBD.

 

[Edge]

by the way,i also like the giraffe.

We found the Giraffe on my way to visit my brother in central Florida, they have all kinds of metal/painted animals including full size lions, tigers and bears...oh my!

They had a full size Zebra and foul, just about any animal you can imagine except a leopard!

 

[DieJager]

@Edge they look stunning. Also the bases are beautifully done. Inspiring, thank you for sharing.

 

[Rare Breed]

I’m finally getting around to posting the final pictures of reproduction elephant tusks cast from my originals with brass caps from TCI in Bulawayo. These tusks are from my hunt in Oct 2018 with @Nyamazana Safaris, and a link to the hunt:
https://www.africahunting.com/threa...alo-plains-game-with-nyamazana-safaris.47141/

My wife and I thought they turned out great, quite pleased with the finished product and a fitting tribute to the elephant. The wooden base is made out of the wood from the shipping crate and I’ll post a lengthy set of pictures leading to the finished product. I’ll do a summary of total costs in a follow-on post for those wondering.

Finished product:

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Close up pics:

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I was on my way home from a business trip and was changing planes in Atlanta, I knew the tusks had arrived a week before so gave Coppersmiths a ring and they had just cleared the tusks. I decided to drive the tusks home to the Florida Panhandle, I jumped on Priceline, reserved a pick-up, drove to the warehouse, paid the extortion fee for one crate and loaded them up:

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I couldn’t wait to have a look at them, was finally able to pry the lid off with a crowbar. Lots of nails holding the crate together:

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One of my wife’s co-workers is an avid wood worker and took on the job of creating wooden bases using the wood from the crate and proceeded to dismantle the crate, lots of nails!

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He made us a cardboard replica for a fit-check:

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Built a small replica out of wood before building the final, in comparison to the finished product:

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Kept us informed of his progress:

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Was able to preserve the Zimbabwe stamp for importation on the inside, a nice touch:

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Wife researched the codes:

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Will never forget this adventure!

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Edge

So awesome!!!! Beautiful! Well done and congratulations!

 

[Rare Breed]

I don’t believe Taxidermy Studios are charging for storage, mine are not in storage and on display. I may see them in person again next year, TBD.

Is Taxidermy studios who did your replicas?

 

[norfolk shooter]

Those look amazing. Do they feel real? You know when you tap them? I know plastic boobs dont feel the same

 

[DLSJR]

Those tusks look fantastic! Congratulations on a nice elephant!

 

[Edge]

Is Taxidermy studios who did your replicas?

TCI in Bulawayo did the replicas, not sure why I initially capitalized “taxidermy studios”.

 

[DieJager]

TCI in Bulawayo did the replicas, not sure why I initially capitalized “taxidermy studios”.

Did they also do more for you. Like mounts of PG etc ?

 

[Edge]

Did they also do more for you. Like mounts of PG etc ?

No, I shipped everything else back to the States, just dip & pack using Andy Hunter in Harare, I highly recommend him. He was a big help with my Leopard import paperwork and only charged ~ $500 for a crate vs the extortion fees paid in South Africa.

 

[barryk]

Very, Very Nice! Congratulations!

 

[mark-hunter]

Fantastic!

 

[Hunt anything]

Those look great, how was the weight on the reproduction? I shot a PAC elephant and had a reproduction done, it looks great but was carved out of foam so it’s as light as a feather.

 

[Andrew62]

How awesome!! They look impressive!

 

[Edge]

Those look great, how was the weight on the reproduction? I shot a PAC elephant and had a reproduction done, it looks great but was carved out of foam so it’s as light as a feather.

The fiberglass is definitely heavier than foam but I don't think they weighed 52lbs each as the real tusks weighed. I didn't weigh the reproductions but I look at those tusks every single day I'm in the house!

 

[edward]

i touch mine,the real ones,was lucky to get them home.