Traditional Muzzleloading Association

Craftsmanship => Hawks and Knives => Topic started by: jbullard1 on June 04, 2008, 02:17:45 PM

Title: Bone Handle Question
Post by: jbullard1 on June 04, 2008, 02:17:45 PM: What can I use to dye white bone a dark brown?
Do I dye before or after attaching the scales to the blade?
I have them shaped to about 1/16" final size
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Post by: jasontn on June 04, 2008, 02:19:34 PM: jerry theres a product called old bones that does a good job on that. i used tea, cheap instant coffee, and walnuts in the past on the few i have made with bone handles.
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Post by: BEAVERMAN on June 04, 2008, 02:22:40 PM: Jerry, instant tea with lemon works REAL good, boil the water and make a strong mix, then turn off, drop the bone in and stir, check often, Ive used this method for bone hair pipes, the lemon added to the tea will help penetrate, and will turn the bone dark fairly quick, like i said, check it often!
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Post by: jbullard1 on June 04, 2008, 02:23:51 PM: Reckon I should soak them in the walnut hull dye I have?
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Post by: BEAVERMAN on June 04, 2008, 02:30:53 PM: Ifn ya got it, use it bud, let us know how it works!One thing I will suggest though, get it hot, it will penetrate the outer layer of bone faster and more even, like dying the tip of a horn with rit berries or natural dyes.
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Post by: jasontn on June 04, 2008, 02:31:47 PM: i used taht once, but it takes a long time. the tea and coffee are faster. beaverman's recipe sounds like itd work real well
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Post by: jbullard1 on June 04, 2008, 02:37:39 PM: I'm puttin some tea on to boil now should I boil the bone in with it or just let them soak
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Post by: BEAVERMAN on June 04, 2008, 02:41:08 PM: after you've boiled the tea, turn it off, add the scales and let them soak,
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Post by: jbullard1 on June 04, 2008, 02:50:38 PM: will let you know the results I have made a Gosh awful smelling concoction of tea, coffee and lemon juice :th dn
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Post by: BEAVERMAN on June 04, 2008, 03:03:51 PM: Be careful if you do, will probably wire ya up for a week! Of course you'll probably get plenty of honey do's accomplished!
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Post by: 2-bellys on June 04, 2008, 04:28:31 PM: id let the brew cool some so as to avoid a little warping
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Post by: BEAVERMAN on June 04, 2008, 08:05:35 PM: Well????????? how they look?
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Post by: jbullard1 on June 04, 2008, 08:18:21 PM: Quote from: "BEAVERMAN"
Well????????? how they look?

Couldnt look better if I done it myself
Letin em dry out and then gonna put em on
Do I need to seal with anything??

(http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u247/jbullard1954/Knives/HPIM3477.jpg)
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Post by: nifeman on June 05, 2008, 05:31:56 AM: I use mineral oil on bone. Rub it in liberally, then wipe with a rag...
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Post by: Frank on June 05, 2008, 08:12:23 AM: Pour that stuff out when you're done, wouldn't want the kids to drink any of it !!!!
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Post by: BEAVERMAN on June 05, 2008, 09:44:33 AM: What nifeman said, or theres a technique for sealing bone that uses super glue and a vacuum canister, Jerry, if your gonna get real searious about making knives, might want to see if the local library system has a book called " The Complete Bladesmith" not sure of the author, but it's one heck of a knife building book! BTW they turned out pretty sweet!
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Post by: J.M. on June 05, 2008, 08:40:07 PM: I like to use combinations of leather dye to give bone an aged look. Just experiment with different colors and coats to see what you get.Cut it with alcohol to dilute it and give it a couple of coats to get a nice aged effect. You can seal it with Butchers Wax. You can also seal it with superglue if you want. Just coat the bone with enough glue to seal it up. Sometimes a few coats are necessary. Once it dries you sand it smooth and buff it out. It usually gives a super gloss finish which does not always look good on something you want a patina on, too shiny/glassy for my tastes.