Artificially Aging Bone

D

DeadeyeLefty

Joined
Jun 2, 2007
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610
So, I have some raw beef and buffalo thigh bones waiting for me at the butcher's, which I plan to try out for handles. I'm wondering first and foremost about what needs to be done to the bone to preserve and stabilize it, and how to give it the antique look of old bone.

My instinct is to slab the bone and bake it to dry it out and soak it in something tannic, like tea, to yellow it. Would this work ? What am I leaving out ?

Thanks for the help, guys
 
Exactly how do you want it to look?
Tea and coffe will stain it, but it really needs to be dyed to look like bone used on pocket knives.
 
This is what I'm shooting for, a slight brown/amber tint. You can see why I figured tannins would work. Is there a dye formulation that's specific to (or best for) bone ? Leather or fabric dye ? Thinned ink or wood stain maybe ? I will make sure to get some extra to play with at any rate.
oldbonesample.jpg
 
So I wound up with two almost complete cow femurs. It looks like the perfect wall thickness and outer radius to work. Each is cut in half and boiling in a big pot as we speak. Man is my dog ever going to be happy for the scraps !

As for coloring, I'm going to cut some test strips and use the following then compare: tea, coffee, ink, wood stain, and red wine. Once it's cleaned of the meat and marrow, I figure I'll bake one of the four pieces to get the moisture out and see how that works. Then I'll do the same with a piece slowly dried over a day or two.

I love learning new stuff !
 
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