maintaining bone scales

[mtangent]

I have added a small number of bone scaled knives to my collecion, all less than 10 years old. The bone all looks faultless.
Will I have to do some maintainance from time to time? What would I do?

 

[matt1987]

Put some mineral oil on them once or twice a year.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Put some mineral oil on them once or twice a year.

:thumbup:
That's all I've ever done with any of mine, and most of my bone-handled knives don't even get that. Bone holds up very well. Mineral oil can make the color of somewhat dull or dingy bone 'pop' again. A very tiny bit will do; just wipe it down with a bit on a clean rag, and wipe off any excess. No need to soak it.

Edit:
Very dirty bone-handled knives can be washed in hot water and liquid dish detergent (Dawn/Ivory/Palmolive/etc.), with no ill effects. HOT water always is best (whatever your hands can tolerate), because it'll warm up the internals and evaporate quickly after rinsing. Makes drying everything out much easier. A little spritz of WD-40 in the joints, afterwards, is a good idea to flush out any remaining moisture. Isopropyl alcohol also works for this.


David

 

[mtangent]

Thanks very much.