Current recommendations for treatment/maintenance of stag and bone

Ron Sabbagh

Ron Sabbagh

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I apologize if this is the wrong forum...but I figure best to hear from the makers themselves.

I am quite fond of natural materials...mammoth, stag and jigged bone on my slip joints.

I know natural materials are prone to shrink and perhaps crack if not used enough. What are the current recommendations for maintenance? Years ago I remember Jerry Fisk recommending that stag be soaked once a year (overnight) in mineral oil. I have also heard that lemon oil is good for jigged bone. Of course, Bob Loveless said "just use the damn thing - the blood and the natural oils from game will maintain the stag!"

I haven't seen any current threads on recommendations and just wondering if these recommendations still hold true.
 
Heck if I know; I've seen no cracks in mine.
I do know there is nothing special about "Lemon Oil" it is just oil with some sent added.
I've just acquired a Black Water Buffalo Stag handled knife so I to am curious. Cool stuff !
 
Horn is hair/fingernail. Antler is very fast growing bone. Two very different materials.
 
not to be confused with a post from a professional knife maker;

I've used "real" lemon oil on my stag Randall. It does seem to have helped with some micro cracking, and coloring from age. I'm sold on it.
 
Stag needs nothing in the way of care, nor does jigged bone. Soaking it in oil will discolor and soften it.
The best thing you can do for it is just give it a coat of paste wax every so often.
Mammoth ivory can be found in many states- from truly mineralized to fresh. It should have no liquids on it.
Just wax.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Stag needs nothing in the way of care, nor does jigged bone. Soaking it in oil will discolor and soften it.
The best thing you can do for it is just give it a coat of paste wax every so often.
Mammoth ivory can be found in many states- from truly mineralized to fresh. It should have no liquids on it.
Just wax.
Click to expand...

Thanks Bill.

I've heard others say that Renaissance Wax is a better choice than any oil.
 
Neutral paste shoe polish is better than Renaissance Wax!
 
Ren Wax is designed to be easily applied, and easily buffed- for items that are not handled regularly.
Neutral shoe polish is designed for shoes.
Shoes get a lot more wear than museum items.
 
Good point on the shoe wax. I also use Renaissance but have recently switched over to just Johnson’s Pastewax. I find its more difficult to buff but lasts longer. Additionally, it gives the handle a slight “tackiness” which gives it better grip. Olympic shooters used to polish their wood stocks with pastewax for that reason.

These below are pocket pukkos I make as a hobby and both are sanded down to 600 grit then “sealed” with pastewax

 
Ren wax is a silicone oil with micro-capsules of silicone. It just coats the surface and some of the oi will penetrate organic materials. I would not recommend using it on stag, bone, mammoth or ivory.

Paste shoe wax was has various waxes ... carnauba and some others ... heavy naphtha as the carrier and drying agent, and some solid oils ( palm, cocoa, etc.) that soak in the material to prevent drying, plus lanolin to keep the leathersoft and pliable. The oils and waxes in it are designed to work with organic materials ... which is why it works well on leather. It will work on most organics with good results.
 
Plus, you can spit shine your knife handles. :p
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Paste shoe wax was has various waxes ... carnauba and some others ... heavy naphtha as the carrier and drying agent, and some solid oils ( palm, cocoa, etc.) that soak in the material to prevent drying, plus lanolin to keep the leathersoft and pliable. The oils and waxes in it are designed to work with organic materials ... which is why it works well on leather. It will work on most organics with good results.
Click to expand...
 
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