About 18 years ago I bought a big Hippo tooth on the internet. One of the lower front two that are most prominent. I thought I would give it a go for at least one J frame pair of grips. Hippo "IVORY" would be pretty cool 
. When it arrived, It looked like I might get two pair (Yea!). When I cut it in half, SPARKS flew from my 10" carbide circular saw blade ....Whaaaaa !? Same thing when I cut each section for the two sides of the grips --- SPARKS ! When I used my scroll saw to cut out the J, NO sparks but SLOW going ! Then I was ready to start shaping them on my sander. That was NOT happening !? No material from the surface was being removed and it seem to be just POLISHING it. The sanding material was just becoming zero grit paper. The surface seemed to have some kind of impregnable coating. I found out that Hippo front incisors develop a heavy mineral coating (seemed like steel to me) Hmmmmm ...what to do ...WHAT to do ? I chucked up the diamond drum wheel in my Dremel and THAT worked off that coating ...PHEW ! The rest of the grip making process went according to standard procedure. I was rewarded with two pair of J frame round butt grips with original S&W factory medallions. BUT you could NOT tell them apart from PLASTIC !! ---- ARGHHHHHH !!! ---- They had ZERO "grain" or any other feature that said ... NOT plastic 
. Somewhere out there are those two pair with HIPPO written on the back (hopefully indelibly) with a signed note to the purchaser to the effect .... I swear these are made from a Hippo's tooth ---- NOT doing any more HIPPO .... EVER !!
. When it arrived, It looked like I might get two pair (Yea!). When I cut it in half, SPARKS flew from my 10" carbide circular saw blade ....Whaaaaa !? Same thing when I cut each section for the two sides of the grips --- SPARKS ! When I used my scroll saw to cut out the J, NO sparks but SLOW going ! Then I was ready to start shaping them on my sander. That was NOT happening !? No material from the surface was being removed and it seem to be just POLISHING it. The sanding material was just becoming zero grit paper. The surface seemed to have some kind of impregnable coating. I found out that Hippo front incisors develop a heavy mineral coating (seemed like steel to me) Hmmmmm ...what to do ...WHAT to do ? I chucked up the diamond drum wheel in my Dremel and THAT worked off that coating ...PHEW ! The rest of the grip making process went according to standard procedure. I was rewarded with two pair of J frame round butt grips with original S&W factory medallions. BUT you could NOT tell them apart from PLASTIC !! ---- ARGHHHHHH !!! ---- They had ZERO "grain" or any other feature that said ... NOT plastic . Somewhere out there are those two pair with HIPPO written on the back (hopefully indelibly) with a signed note to the purchaser to the effect .... I swear these are made from a Hippo's tooth ---- NOT doing any more HIPPO .... EVER !!
