Staining jigged bone question

J

John L

Joined
Oct 28, 2004
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I decided to jig and dye my own cow bone yesterday. Jigging went fine....dying leaves a lot to be desired as it is very blotchy. I used Fieblings leather dye, left it in 24 hrs.......uggggggly! Any suggestgions here? Thanks
 
John, post a picture of the bone and state what color and tones you were attempting to achieve. This will help alot. I use the same dyes with great success but it only takes a few minutes to achieve the desired results, not 24 hrs. Posting a pic as mentioned will field posts from more qualified folks than me, but I will help if I have more information.
 
I've been trying to figure out the age old formula for years. The old pocket knives had jigged bone dyed in some basic colors that are beautiful and timeless. Nobody seems to know how they did it and except for Culpepper Company nobody is getting the same results. Good luck.
 
Aktoklat: Well...I don't have a camera handy..but...are you dying after installation and thus..only dying the surface? The penetration was very little. Do you thin the dye? I used dark brown and it turned out greenish. I know that red takes away green in woodworking. Someone once said that the bone needs to be pre saturated with a solvent for good penetration but I did not do this. Do you? I fit the bone to both end bolsters, took thickness down to bolster thickness, removes scales,jigged bone, and placed in jar of dye for 24 hrs. Maybe I need a week or more? Pull a vaccum? Thanks.
Bruce: Gee.....I thought you could do everything!! By the way...I bought the under hammer gun book you recommended and it was great. Thanks.
 
Hmmmmmm....Hot eh? I'll try it. Couldn't be any worse than the present example I have! How long do they leave it stewing?
 
I've done cold, hot, and under vacuum, one of the biggest helps I've found is to get the bone an even almost transclucent before the dye. Sometimes this isn't required but if its to dry (blotchy) I use either lemon oil furniture polish or even xylene to get the even color in the bone before dye and then use oil dye with or witout heat some of the stuff in slippies for sale will give you an idea of what can be done.
Ken.
 
kc custom said:
I've done cold, hot, and under vacuum, one of the biggest helps I've found is to get the bone an even almost transclucent before the dye. Sometimes this isn't required but if its to dry (blotchy) I use either lemon oil furniture polish or even xylene to get the even color in the bone before dye and then use oil dye with or witout heat some of the stuff in slippies for sale will give you an idea of what can be done.
Ken.
Click to expand...

Ken what kind of oil dye do you use? Are you talking leather dye? What did they use in the old days?
 
Bruce I use Fiebings Oil leather dye, Weaver leather also sells some oil based stains
that I use.
Ken.
 
JL, I have found out that the dark brown does leave a greenish color. However, I take a coton bobbin brush and swipe it on and leave it for no more than ten minutes, then take a soft cotton cloth and scrub it till you get the desired color. I recommend medium brown and light brown... seems I receive a better desire color for me. I don't soak it and it is not necessary. Use a cotton dopper and make smooth and even swipe coatings and wait no longer than 20 minutes then scrub with an old clean T shirt. If the dye is left on too long, yes you will see the greenish effect. The greenish affect can be softed with a light buffing. Try the Light Brown and don't leave it on too longl. If left on too long acetone can be use to remove a majority of the stain. I do not pre-saturate with any chemicals. The bone can be stained prior or after knife construction a slight amout of vaseline on the blade and guard will prevent staining undesired components. The dye works pretty quick no reason to leave it on for more than a few minutes, the process can be repeated several times for the desire affect! Hopes this helps!
 
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In the "old days" bone was stained with potassium permanganate.
 
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