Post #596519 by MajikImaje on Thu, Jul 7, 2011 3:41 PM

Danlovestikis: Thanks for the very important information Dan.

Back up a few photographs where that young boy (Khris) is drilling the piece of black baleen. An extremely powerful 220 volt, dust collection system is sucking all the air away from him down into that chute. Along with any dust.

Ivory dust is cancerous, will cause heart disease (LOL)& emphysema and whole slew of other respiratory problems big time.

Please don't get me wrong, (LOL) I sure appreciate your concern, But (lol)you & others will just never believe this. I am 63 years YOUNG. Younger than anyone on this forum. doctors look at me and just shake their heads. I have a 40 year history of working heavy industrial construction projects in atmospheres' of breathing concrete, asbestos (in closed manholes) and many other toxic substances that everyone is afraid of. I don't trust man, or what man can offer me for protection as such. (in those days it was unheard of).
Who are you ??? many doctors have exclaimed. I have actually survived 15.. .. heart attacks!! surgery 2 times. 3 Strokes, the last one in 2003 left me with very little sight. I had to fly 200 miles to Kotzebue on my own dime. They would not medivac me. So two months later. I was able to fly to the nearest hospital, to get my eyes checked. After two whole long days of eye testing with all sorts of chemicals and other tests. The two doctors stated. Mr. Eves. You have lost 90% of your eyesight in the right eye and more than 70% in your left eye. They went on to say.. "you, will never re-gain your total eyesight back. I laughed in their face and said you two need to go back to school! Really.!! They were shocked as they looked at each other and then back at me and asked. "Is there something you know that we don't know?? I laughed hard and said quite boldly. I sure do.. my Creator can fix anything!! One month later. ALL of my eyesight in both eyes was completely restored.

I haven't had any heart issues in over a year and a half.

DUST COLLECTION SYSTEMS, sucker hoses, downdraft tables are all ESSENTIAL part of Carving with ANY MATERIAL.

This was our very first shop. 2004 - 4 boys sitting on a couch with these shelves in front of them. This is where the boys first learned how to carve. The mud room; just inside our small house in Kotzebue Alaska.

I Lost 2 computers 3 printers to the massive amounts of ivory dust when we first began.

We moved from Kotzebue back to Point Hope - 2006 (we moved around a lot).

We learned a lot in Kotz. Especially what not to do and we adjusted our work habits.

3 boys @home. The Oldest son (Isaiah) is married with children, he also still carves & makes these same type bracelets as we do. This is our style. Remove a shape from a piece of ivory and re-insert a different material of the same (exact) shape with no gaps!! PERFECT ... is close enough for me!!

I am going to take the time to post all this information up here, step by step for each and every detail on how simple this is to accomplish.