Thread: Back with three very different custom bone scales...

Thank you for all the positive comments everyone, really appreciate the feedback

Originally Posted by nodakjohns

Very very impressive. Tell us more about working bone. Do you have to dry it or do anything special before hand ? How about dying it , what do you use to dye it ? How about shaping it , any special tips after breaking the one ? And do you have to seal it at all ? Thanks for showing us your tremendous work!!!!!

I do dry the bone - once it's completely clean I leave it to bleach in the sun for about a month. I don't like to use any chemicals like bleach because they tend to make the bone more brittle. I then leave it to dry indoors for a bit longer. I then draw and cut the very rough shape using an angle grinder (I don't have that many tools). I then tape or clamp both pieces of bone together and do most of my shaping on my trusty belt sander. Following that, I use a hand file and sandpaper starting at 180 and going up to 1000 grit.

For the intricate carving I used the dremmel to start with, working the grooves into the bone. Once it started to take shape I switched to hand file and sanding. The biggest tip I have is to go slowly, drill the holes last, and be very careful with the pinning! The break was completely my fault, caused by a careless pin.

As for the stain - I did some experimenting with various tannins and dyes, including acorn, walnut, coffee, tea, rust/iron based stains, etc. I've also tried fluorides and bleaches to get a whiter white, but far prefer sun bleaching. Nothing took the bone nearly as dark as I first wanted it, even after repeated dyeing, but over time I've come to really like the natural look I've achieved. This is done using a natural walnut stain that comes in crystal form to dissolve in water. I leave the bone to soak for around 24hrs and then repeat if necessary.

Lastly, after a final sand at 1200 grit I use a polishing compound (the same autosol or mothers I use on the blades) and polish the bone up to a glossy finish. Repeat that a couple of times and what's left is a wonderful smooth sheen that also protects the bone.

Hope that helps!