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The last photo is why I never use Japanese ebonite. Something made its way into a batch (or ten batches? twenty?) years ago that "blooms" with the passage of time AFTER it has been exposed to light from shaping/cutting. Little orange specks. No way of knowing it's there until it happens.

I've seen it on the highest of high grades... being somewhat softer than the German stuff, it's easier to make fanciful shapes out of.

It's still being sold, too, since ebonite has effectively infinite shelf life.

Anyway, also of interest here is the "stamp." Neither laser nor true stamp, it looks to have been "chatter cut" with a micro-chisel-gouge-thingie of some sort. Defintely not by hand, though. Maybe a surgical robot type of programmable arm?


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Eurgh inclusions in ebonite are one of the main reasons I avoid it.

I think that "stamp" could be laser etched and then sanded and buffed. Lasers pulse one and off to do the engraving and I think that's what you are seeing there. If the laser is poorly set up or unsuitable for the task you would get that kind of pattern.

That's by far the most likely explanation, innit? A laser engraver either deliberately set to "rustic", or accidentally left on the wrong material setting.

Much more fun to think of one of you guys tinkering with a programmable surgical robot arm in your garage, though...

It's full of stars!

And that is the most kind thing I could say about that ebonite.

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Pretty much.



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