Rue

It's endlessly fascinating... just like wandlore in Harry Potter... Yes... there's a definite parallel...

...it should have read "not in the mood"...

I did see a chart, comparing specs, but it was a little Greek to me...

...a little more sleuthing; probably not used for musical instruments! It is a "cheap" tourist version. AI tells me "should you ever want to "rescue" a piece like this, collectors sometimes carefully strip the varnish and hand-sand the wood with ultra-fine grit paper (up to 2000 grit) followed by a buffing with beeswax. This reveals the wood's true beauty, though it’s a lot of work for a $15 item!" The better half just told me he spent $5! Hmm... not that I'm currently the mood to sand a tortoise, but it might be worth it to get rid of the ugly varnish?

Well yes, but I gather these souvenir items were carved from deadwood, in Mexico, from Olneya tesota. But there could be other uses for it? I'm still amazed at how heavy it is!

Now there's a thought!

I have been decluttering, but look who arrived in the mail! (Auction purchase). I got it because it was a tortoise. What can I say? But! It's an incredibly heavy tortoise, like, wow! It's an ironwood carving, vintage, not signed, sloppy varnish. Am assuming a tourist piece. .. but still so cool! Is there any history of using ironwood in violins or other musical instruments? Probably not?

Have fun with the new job!!!

But... there's varnish, and then there's varnish...

...so's our well water, for what it's worth... Was too cheap to buy a tannin filter, since the water is potable... but sheesh... tannin certainly stains!

...makes sense... horse manure; ease of use... readily available, lots of it. I was thinking chemistry, not practicality...

Wonder why horse manure in particular? Why not cow? Or goat or sheep? Diets might not be exactly the same, but probably 90% the same.

Well... I'm dissapointed ... as I'm watching, and smelling, the piles of accumulated horse manure emerging after a long winter. We still have snow on the ground... But I guess hoping for a manure decomposition discussion on MN was being overly optimistic...

I admit I know very little, but everything you said raised a red flag, even with me, lol. It makes no sense.

FWIW; "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" (or ear !), and you have to be in the right mindset to be open to appreciate the beauty. I think bats are beautiful. Form, function, grace, seeing them fly at dusk, wow. But, I have to be looking up at the sky in order to see them, and I have to have a moment of time, to appreciate that beauty. If my job was to shovel guano at the local bat cave, my opinion might change. If I was a different person, like my husband for example, I'd be more likely to screech the minute I saw one, cover my head with my hands, and run for cover...