Making handle of bone?

C

Charles Dean

Joined
Feb 3, 2001
Messages
92
There is a local meat market by my house and I was wandering what sort of more domestic animals might have good bones? Also, after I get the bone how should I go about making it ready to start fitting it to the knife. Thanks all.
 
I have found that any bone will pretty well work for a handle.The best thing to look for is how thick the walls of the bone are and if you are wanting it to be a full handle or a slab handle.That will determine how big of a bone and how thick you want the walls.
As for getting it ready for a handle.You will want to decide how you want to dry it.You can hang them outside where animals wont get to them and let them age naturaly for a year or two.Or you can boil them until all the meat is off and the marrow slips out,then add some bleach to the boiling water to degrease the bone,let this boil for a little while so it gets through the bone good.Them take the pot off the heat and let everything set until it cools to room temperature,after it gets cool you can take the bones out and rinse them off in clean cool water to neutralize the bleach,then put them up and let them dry completely.
Now you can cut them to size or cut them into scales,you can dye them at this point if you want.And then you can have them stabilized or stabilize yourself.If you don't have a pressure tank available you can put the bone in a jar that can be sealed off and then fill it with some "Minwax wipe on poly" this is very thin like water and the bone will soak it up just like water.Let it set in this for a few days.It works faster if you can dry heat the bone befor submersing it or if you set the jar in the sun and let it warm up.after you think it is all the way through the bone just take it out and let it dry for about 3 days and you are ready to attach it to the blade.
I know that this sounds like it takes a long time to do this but it doesn't take all that long and if you do it in biger batches at a time you can have a bunch of handles ready at a time.And you will really like what you end up with.
Hope this helps.....
Bruce
 
Howdy There...!
I agree with beknives, about the bone use. But I have found that an easier way is to go to your local Wally World in the pet dept. and buy the bones that you can get for your dog. They have already been dried and bleached. All you have to do is slab them out for your handles. You will have to seal them with super glue or stabelize them before buffing. Give them a try..!

"Possum":cool:
 
Thanks guys. So cow bone will work right? and what about deer? Should I buff them after they are stabalized?
 
Yes both will work great.
And yes you will want to buff the final finish on them,If you don't seal it with superglue or have it stabilizrd you will need to use a clean white compound so it wont discolor the bone.
Here is a picture of a old one I did with a Deer leg bone that I dyed for the handle.
1deerlegboneknf.jpg


And here is one with some dyed cow bone for the handle.
Mar08_07.jpg


I also use the bones from Wal Mart as it is allot quicker than cleaning them yourself.But as I said before,if you do a big batch at a time it isn't that bad.I really like the bones that are found in the woods and have been aged naturaly,they have allot more character to them,and some even have some color to them naturaly.
Bruce
 
I don't know from personal experience, but I have read that if you have a choice, the shin-bone of the animal is the hardest and therefore the best one to use.
 
Bladerunner is correct in that statement.But if you are going to stabilize the bone it won't really matter...
Bruce
 
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