#Engraved cue ball how to

They shouldn’t have a repeating pattern and no two pieces of ivory will have the exact same line structure. Ivory cue balls will have uneven and seemingly random crosshatch lines throughout. This should be easily distinguishable from a sun-faded or old synthetic cue ball. They often turn to a dark yellow or brown. So, it may be possible for you to identify an ivory cue ball simply by looking at it. There are a few characteristics that are unique to ivory cue balls. Since ivory is an organic substance, it can be easy to inspect a cue ball visually to determine if it’s ivory or not. The ivory from elephant tusks was generally big enough to make billiard balls. Those other animals didn’t have sufficient amounts of ivory- or the ivory wasn’t large enough- to ever become commercially viable. It was used all the way up until the 20th century, despite the threat it posed to elephants. Ivory became recognized as an ideal material for billiard balls in the 17th century. Many people don’t realize that ivory can also be sourced from other animals, such as narwhals, hippos, sperm whales, walruses, and some kinds of warthogs. Best Ways to Tell if a Cue Ball is IvoryĪs you probably know, ivory comes from tusks- namely those of African and Indian elephants. I’ll also discuss how much ivory cue balls are worth and whether or not they are better than modern balls. To tell if a cue ball is ivory, you can use a blacklight, look for telltale signs with your eye or a magnifying glass, try the pin test, or ask an expert.

#Engraved cue ball how to

Read on to learn how to tell if a cue ball is ivory. Luckily there are a few easy ways to differentiate between these materials. If you don’t know what to look for, it can be hard to tell the difference between clay, ivory, and old acrylic balls. Unfortunately, ivory cue balls aren’t often labeled as such. There are bound to be ivory cue ball collections sitting in storage or passed down from generation to generation. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.Īlthough ivory cue balls are rare, it’s entirely possible to run into them. Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links.