Back in the 1960s and early 1970s I was the Kimball piano dealer in
Toledo, Ohio.  As such, I went on many of their "Incentive" trips.
One of those trips was to Long Eaton, England, where they made ivory
piano keys for Boesendorfer pianos.  (Boesendorfer was then owned by
Kimball.)

I watched them saw the elephant tusks into thin strips that were then
laid out on tables or benches on the roof in the sun.  As many of us
know, the keys on those pianos are quite nice, thanks to Mr. Sun!

Jim Hockenberger