working bone - handle material

G

greenfeet

Joined
Mar 2, 2008
Messages
41
ive read sticky about how not to over heat bone or antler, so i should go slow to keep things cool.

one other thing though. it seems somewhat brittle. when i drilled the pin holes, i did not back it up tight enough and there is a bit of blow out on the exit side. no big deal it will finish out. but to remove the bulk of the material around the sides.....? will a band saw tear it up? should i sand it down, or get a coping saw or the like and hand remove it slowly?

also, finishing. im guessing sand down to 400 or a bit finer, then buff? what about sealing it?

thanks for any direction yall can give.

ive been farting around and procrastinating with this, my first knife, for months now. im ready to get it done, post a photo here, then move on to the next.
 
I usually use a disk grinder to remove the bulk and the belt to go to 400 grit, then hand sand to 800 or more. Then buff with muslin and white diamond rouge.
 
Never had any trouble with a bandsaw on bone. I don’t have a disk grinder so I remove the bulk with the band saw if its thick enough (over 1/8"). When you think you’re about to push through with your drill just go slow or it will blow it out every time. Speaking of being brittle, if you pein your pins be careful not to get them too tight or the bone will crack. Good luck on your first.
 
What kind of bone do you have, is it unfinished. You can use a bandsaw to cut, I use a metal cutting saw since it runs slower and has less heat.

If you sand using machines sand a little and hold in your hand, this will keep it from getting to hot, when just warm sand more. You can also dip into water and this keeps the dust down as well, I hate the bone dust smell.

Buffing will be tough if its a white bone, you will get compound and dirt in the pours, I would sand to 500- 600 and use a nice oil or wax.
 
it is dyed camel bone. have no idea of the characteristics of this stuff, i just thought it looked nice.

thanks for the help. i should be finished soon.
 
Not sure about yours but most of the dyed camel bone has a finish on it and should not be sanded. If thats the case its best to work from the back to get it the proper thickness and dont mess with the finished side. If you need to sand around the edges a bit, just sand to 600 and finish with a little oil, if you sand you may break through the surface finish since there is a hard layer over a softer core.
 
greenfeet
If you want give me a call I'll walk you through the steps,if you need my # again just Pm me.
Stan
 
thanks stan,

after my grinder blew the breaker again i thought about giving you a buzz but i was so imbarressed about how long this has taken me i thought i shouldnt bother you until i finish this one. haha. didnt want you to feel like you had wasted your time.

i think im going to take a photo of my work area and post it in a "who has the worst shop" thread. haha
 
this does have a nice polish to it, but i thought id jsut work it to where i want it and polish it back up. is this way off base?
 
Man don't feel bad call anytime.On bone and stag you always want to work from the backside as much as possible.That way you are removing pith and not the good ivory outside.
Stan
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top