Thread: Camel Bone Scales? Anybody Tried Making Them?

I am interested in cutting up camel leg and shoulder blade bones into razor scales. Anybody here doing that? Looking particularly for answers from someone who has actually cut these bones up into scales already. I am pretty sure the leg bones will have a large pithy core but I am thinking I should still get maybe 4 pairs from one. But the shoulder blades, are they pretty solid? If so I should be able to saw one of them up into several pairs, right? And what about giraffe bones? I have made quite a lot of horn, wood, and synthetic scales, so not interested in how-to or recommendations in that area. I have done a couple pairs of prefab bone scales and I rather like them, but I really don't like paying so much and trusting some guy in India to get it right for whatever razor I am rescaling, so I am looking into a DIY approach.

Yes

In fact, I have a Buffalo leg bone on the bench right now, I have done Elk leg bone too, and have one bleaching out on a tall stump, Done scales from Raw Antlers also, even more processing work



Honestly, it is a lot of processing work, and I have the experience and tools to do them, the only difference from buying pre-processed blanks is your own satisfaction of using a Raw animal product that you processed...

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Yes

In fact, I have a Buffalo leg bone on the bench right now, I have done Elk leg bone too, and have one bleaching out on a tall stump, Done scales from Raw Antlers also, even more processing work



Honestly, it is a lot of processing work, and I have the experience and tools to do them, the only difference from buying pre-processed blanks is your own satisfaction of using a Raw animal product that you processed...

Have you tried any shoulder blades? And are you bleaching with just sunlight?

I have used elk and cow bone, as well an antler. It was not as easy as I had imagined. I do have a well equipped shop. Bleaching has many routes you can take. I find unbleached is less brittle and chippy and prefer to cut, shape, carve from raw and then bleach, dye and polish. Also the natural staining and mottling on raw can be quite beautiful.

I have used a dogs chew bone from pet supply. Scraped off as much as possible and boiled I remove balance. Made scales. Used scraps for wedges or inlay on wood scales.

I give my gigantic dog cow femurs as chew treats. After a couple of years what is left is pretty clean and smooth. Given long enough he'll start breaking big pieces off I'm afraid he'll choke on (if he can do that to a cow femur imagine what he could do to your arm) and the wife thows them away. I've always wanted to make scales out of one but never have...YET.

Bone scales here, don't know species, but Karl suggested them for me for something to resemble ivory, as usual, he did a beautiful job on this Wade & Butcher, The Celebrated Hollow Ground Razor, For Barber's Use.

Love that laser beam bevel that Escher stone leaves on the blade.....:-)

Originally Posted by Phrank

Bone scales here, don't know species, but Karl suggested them for me for something to resemble ivory, as usual, he did a beautiful job on this Wade & Butcher, The Celebrated Hollow Ground Razor, For Barber's Use.

Love that laser beam bevel that Escher stone leaves on the blade.....:-)

From what I understand, camel and giraffe? are a lot denser so they don't have all the dark specks that bovine bone does, giving them more of an ivory look.
Those scales look great, maybe Karl will chime in.

Water buffalo and oxen scales are suppose to be very dense also. Oxen are still cattle but much older than meat beef and used as beasts of burden, so that likely increases the density too. The oxen bone is used a lot for Majong tiles since ivory became unavailable. I would expect that any mature animals, except geriatric ones would all be in the highest density of their species. I do like water buffalo a lot. It has the density.

I bought a Filly 13 off of Mainaman a while ago, it had giraffe bone scales (https://sharprazorpalace.com/razors-...nderillas.html). The scales are a beautifully pure, almost transluscent cream colour. I don't know if he made them himself, though. Hopefully he'll chime in here soon - I see he hasn't logged into the site for a couple of weeks.