staining whitetail horn

S

sashcord

Joined
Nov 10, 1999
Messages
69
guys,
What is the prefered method to stain sunbleached antler. I have lots of it but most is bleached white.
Thanks,
Steve
confused.gif


If you can see the obstacles, you have taken your eyes off the goal.


[This message has been edited by sashcord (edited 01-24-2000).]
 
yeah, thats the stuff...you can get it almost anywhere...at my house for example, you can also change the coloring with a propane torch, but be careful, just brush it with the flame.

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http://www.mayoknives.com


 
You can get it at any store just about. Wal-Mart, Sears, Home Depot, Lowe's, pharmacies. It's pretty easy to get a hold of some.

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Gene Osborn
Center Cross Metal Works
I Carry My Crosses for Christ to Give any Glory to God.
 
I've used wood stain with good success. Lots of shades to choose from. Just wipe it on and let sit for a minute and then rub off the excess.
 
I have used a leather dye I obtained from a saddle shop. Saddle shops are quite common in Texas but may be hard to come by "back East".

C Wilkins
 
Thanks Gentelmen,
I have always heard that if Wal-Mart does'nt
have it you don't need it.
Next,I will need to know how to bleach it
lol.

Steve


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Hey Guys!
I learned this one from Tommy Mcnabb in Winston Salem, NC.

Tommy stains some of his stag to an amber color by soaking it in INSTANT TEA. It looks amazing. Just mix instant tea and water and let the antler soak for 30 minutes or so. You should let the stag dry.

Oh Yeah, Tommy says to shape the stag to as close to finished as possible before you stain it.

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Barry
Jones Knives

Do you hear that?
That is the sound of inevitability.

[This message has been edited by BARRY JONES (edited 01-25-2000).]
 
Pick a flavor you like, though. It will smell like that until you seal it, and maybe even after. :>

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Oz

"Violence never settles anything."
Genghis Khan 1162-1227

Check out my egostistical homepage!
http://www.freespeech.org/oz/
 
Pardon a moron for askin a dumb question, but doesn't soaking the antler in water mean you'll have to take it through a drying or stabilizing process all over again??? Thanks!! Michael

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"Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!"
 
I have plenty of Potassium Permaginate in stock if anyone needs. I sell it in 1 lb jars for $19.95 FOB Roswell, GA.

Let me know if anyone needs any you can email me at rcchopra@uai.org

Check out great deals on India Stag, Buffalo Horn, Mother of Pearl, Damascus, Knife Kits & More www.knifesupplies.com

Ric
 
Potassium Permaginate is $19.95 a pound? Instant tea sounds a lot cheaper and I can drink what I don't use.
smile.gif


Carl
 
I've used shoe dye to color stag, it also works good to highlight areas that haven't been ground down, a real nice contrast in lighter colored stag.

Jake
 
As long as we are on the topic of coloring handle\scales is there any other good stuff to use besides pot. perm. I've tried Iodine, Soy sauce, Coffee (Got too wired to see results), shoe polish, and wood dye. Most of the stuff just beaded up on the bone. Am I doing something wrong, or am I using Green bone or What. The bones that Im using are/were dog bones that were cooked in the oven to release fat. Smelled pretty Good too. What?
 
As long as we are on the topic of coloring handle\scales is there any other good stuff to use besides pot. perm. I've tried Iodine, Soy sauce, Coffee (Got too wired to see results), shoe polish, and wood dye. Most of the stuff just beaded up on the bone. Am I doing something wrong, or am I using Green bone or What. The bones that Im using are/were dog bones that were cooked in the oven to release fat. Smelled pretty Good too. What?
 
L6, I'm guessing that all of these procedures are suggested before stabilization, that's when I do the most work on my antler, and when it seems it would do the most good. Stabilization generally makes bone and antler less porous and a lot less likely to take any new pigments.
Eureka, have you tried soaking or boiling the bone in the medium? When it's been polished to a certain point, it takes a bit of exposure to be more receptive to new compounds being introduced. If you soak it, though, it will likely still only get a surface coating unless you use something like tea(tannic acid) or some other acid for your medium.

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Oz

"Violence never settles anything."
Genghis Khan 1162-1227

Check out my egostistical homepage!
http://www.freespeech.org/oz/
 
Eureka,
When using the shoe polish try warming the handle first, then apply the polish liberally. Lastly apply heat with a torch which will help the polish to soak in and will also help the color. To much heat though may lead to a orange tint so easy does it.
 
I tried to find some Pot. perm. today and all stores looked at me like I was crazy. Is it sold under another name?

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The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.
 
When using Dog Bones from the kitchen you still need to get the grease out of the bone,you need to boil in a pot of water for a while.Then add a little bleach to the water and boil for a little while longer then remove from the heat and let stand untill cool,this won't crack the bone.After doing this you have to go thru the drying prosses.If you want to dye the bone it only works after doing this.I suggest letting the dog have the bone and go to the pet department at Wal-Mart,They sell dog chew bones for around $2.00,these have already been treated and dried and will take a dye very nicely.If you want to use deer leg bones you have to do it the hard way.Boiling in a strong tea gives a nice finish that leaves a amber color as you grind,the depth depends on how long you boil.Yes you have to dry it again,but it doesent take six months,I preffer to do this in a larger bach say in the summer so it will dry out faster,I will have pieces when needed,Hope this helps.Almost forgot you can do this when stag is green so you only have to go thru the drying process once.If you set the shin bone on top of a wood heater till it is real warm and use the liquid leather dyes it gives some nice efects,the black leaves a blueish color like you get in fossilized ivory,try different colorsand get different effects.I have a couple of pictures on my web site of Knives that I have done this to the bone check it out if you would like http://bladesmithing.isfun.net

[This message has been edited by beknives (edited 02-01-2000).]
 
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