Replacing an ivory bell ring
February 8th, 2024
Replacing an ivory bell ring
The removal of an ivory bell ring may be painful to watch, but under international and UK law this bassoon cannot be sold or taken across international borders with the original ivory still in place. Being made after 1975, unfortunately this bassoon is ineligible for exemption from the ban on trade in, or international movement of, ivory which applies just to items made before 1975.
In this video we remove the ivory bell ring using a lathe, and custom-make a new, faux ivory ring out of specially made resin. We do use other methods when appropriate, but for Heckels of this vintage this method is by far the safest one to use without risking damage to the bell joint.
Watch the video:
