bone whitening

matt1987

matt1987

Joined
Nov 2, 2009
Messages
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I posted this on the traditional subforum, but I thought I'd ask the experts for some advice to :cool:

I just got a rough rider with white smooth bone handles and it has alot of black flecks through the bone. so I'm wondering if there is a way to whiten the black spots without ripping the knife apart or tarnishing the metals too bad(brass, nickel sliver and stainless steel).

Normally I wouldn't be this picky, especially since it's a cheap knife, but I bought it because I like white bone and there's literally more black spots than white.
 
Sounds like Buffer Crud... Not coming out
Pics will help for us to give suggestions!
 
here's some quick pics..

100_2466.jpg

100_2468.jpg

100_2479.jpg
 
Are you sure it's not varicose veins showing through the nylons? ;-)

The only thing I've heard of whitening bone is a strong solution of Hydrogen Peroxide. Is the material sealed with something that would have to be removed before attempting some sort of treatment?

- Paul Meske
 
Scrub it with WD 40 on a coarse cloth. Then, scrub it with a paste of baking soda, a little detergent, and water. Dry, use more WD 40 to displace moisture, and then paste wax.
I doubt even this will remove all the darkness from the Haversian canals in the bone.
 
I think that is naturally occurring color. My one bone knife I made had that type of coloring when the material was thin and nearing the interior of the bone. Maybe its natural fats soaking to the surface. It looks old, I would consider it a patina and as in all antiques, removing the patina reduces its value.
 
Because we do not know the origin of the discoloration in your bone I do not know if this will work for your situation or not. If the impurities are buffing compound or simply discoloration in the natural bone you will get widely different results. As noted if it is "patina" then you may damage the value of your piece by bleaching it.

Generally, bone bleaching is done with 40V hydrogen peroxide and magnesium carbonate. Mix these together into a thick paste and apply to the material being bleached. Let soak until your bone is bleached. These products are found at your local beauty supply store. It is the stuff used to bleach ladies' hair.

Seems like you could mask the non bone parts first.
 
The pictured knife has no collector value. It is a new piece.
Undyed bone almost always looks inconsistent. This is why cutlery companies have been dyeing and jigging it for over 100 years.
 
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