I have a small baleen "frond" guaranteed to have been harvested pre-ban. You can also buy it legally from Alaskan natives or those with the right to harvest whales for survival.
The butt end of this frond is about 3/4" thick and it is fairly rigid there. The whole thing reminds me of the descriptions of rhino horn in that it is hair all stuck together. The Baleen is like that. The fibers run lengthwise and are stuck together by something like your fingernail. It will strip along the grain fairly easily. The grain also gives it strength along with flexibility. Regina (nuke the gay baby whales) Romsey > > > Whalebone is not bone, it's baleen. Baleen comes from several > different species of whale. Different species, different colors. The > blue whale has the dark grey-black baleen in huge amounts. Excessive > amounts of info can be found in books and on sites devoted to maritime > collectibles. I found alot while searching up busks in whalebone, > narwhal horn and other materials. There are some good French and > Canadian maritime collectors' sites if you happen to read the > language. _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
