Refinishing stag handle scales

[draggat]

A couple of years ago I inherited my dad's small knife and gun collection. One of the knives is an old Case fixed blade with stag handle scales. They're pretty ugly right now. Almost all of the finish is worn off and one side appears to be a bit burnt while the other is plain. This knife means quite a bit to me and I'd like to make the scales look a little better. Any recommendations on how to clean them up and maybe even out the color? Is polyurethane used to seal the bone? Thanks in advance!

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Here is what I would do:
Recolor the stag with potassium permanganate. Do not burn it with a torch! The PP can be used with multiple coats to darken some areas more than others.
Then, I spray the stag with Krylon clear acrylic to seal it. Sand the high spots with 400 grit sandpaper to bring out color differentiation, then buff with 0000 steel wool, then polish with a buffer using green compound.
Lather dye can be used, but it will penetrate the stag very deeply and you won't get much color variation, if any. If you don't have a buffer, you can use Simichrome/Flitz/Mothers/Maas polish on a rag with lots of elbow grease.
Don't forget to wax with paste wax when you're finished.