Could I make a knife handle out of this bone?

[raindog308]

I am a lifelong knife user/collector but have never made a knife.

Recently while hiking in the Bighorn Mountains of Northern Wyoming, I came across part of a jawbone. That part of the world is very special to me and I thought perhaps I could use the bone to make a knife handle.

My thought was to buy a knife blank or kit (e.g., I looked at knifekits.com but haven't really started looking) so the metal is already done, as I'm not equipped for forging, heat treat, etc. Then I'd use this bone to create the handle.

Is this kind of bone useful for a knife handle? There are other things I could do with it - just an idea that popped into my head.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Yes, look up Bear Jaw Knife. I do a lot of them. Here is an internet image of one (not mine). You can also cut the jaw part so it makes the guard. Your jaw does not have the canine tooth but will still make a nice "Mountain Man" handle.

 

[3fifty7]

I’d imagine that jawbone would benefit greatly from being stabilized, or saturated with CA glue at a minimum.