how do i work with bone?

**Bladen** · 10-21-2009, 08:06 PM

whats the best way to work with bone?

do i file it?
dremel?
grinder?

whats the best way to clean it?
burn it?

can i work with any bone or do some work better than others?

to be more specific: i noticed tonight that a t-bone from a steak has a really interesting shape. almost like a knife you could hold in your fist and between your first and second fingers.

i know that last bit sounds like a joke but i really want to know.

i know theres stuff online about it but, like most things, its hard to know whats true or not.
so i thought id ask the pros.

thanks in advance for any info.

i love this site.

take care,

Bladen

**Ken** · 10-21-2009, 08:09 PM

I haven't worked with bone in a long while. Tried my hand at scrimshaw decades ago. Gave up. I have no artistic talent whatsoever.

But I'll tell you, nothing gets bone clean better or faster than sandfleas.

**crashdive123** · 10-21-2009, 08:12 PM

I haven't done a lot of work with bone (some, but not a lot). A grinder or belt sander works well for shaping. I would highly recommend wearing a dust mask, and be prepared for your workshop to smell like a dentist's office. I just recently picked up some gator bones for a project.......when I get caught up on my other projects.

**COWBOYSURVIVAL** · 10-21-2009, 08:15 PM

Very similar to working with wood. Only it can be a bit brittle. You can grind, sand, carve, just be slow and intentional with each thing you do. Search Leafspring Knife and you'll get a little info as I made an antler handle for the knife. It cracked at the very last little bit of work, but I was still able to use it. That is why i warned you to be careful and meticulous!

**your_comforting_company** · 10-21-2009, 08:28 PM

Bladen, I'm not super duper savvy on bone working but erunkiswildsurvival (however you spell it) has some good videos on youtube about working bone. you might pm him, he's really good with abo stuff

A side grinder with abrasive paper discs works as would a hacksaw or sawzall or band saw. A dremel can get away from you as the bone kinda 'grabs' but if you're careful and keep your hands away you should be fine. I myself dont use power tools on my abo stuff, though a sawzall blade used by hand works. I use broken pieces of brick and cinderblock for the rough shaping, sandstone for smoothing, and bits of flakes for shaving and shaping. Pretty much anything you can get your hands on that is harder than bone will work, but dont use your good knife... the bone will dull the blade rather quickly. woodworking chisels... the list goes on..

Stay away from chicken bones, not really durable.. other than that, I've used deer, cow, and boar bones, and I'm sure there are others here that would say any animal will work, but the big leg bones and ribs are what I would say are mostly used

fire ants, maceration, dermestid beetles, (from a post about fox fur in "making stuff") will get the bone clean. I usually let the ants have what they want, then sun bleach the legs or ribs on the roof of my shed so dogs dont get them, though I lost a large deer femur to a hawk or buzzard that way

. If its a bone that has marrow, It will tan itself and be softer and more 'preserved' and not as brittle as bones that have been laying out back of a pasture for a year or two.

I've seen a good awl made of a T-bone, so to me it doesn't sound like a joke at all. I make most of my stuff from the lower leg of deer, since I save them with the hocks and hoofs. In fact, the toe bones make nifty makeshift arrowheads. theres a lot that can be made from bone and stone, just let your imagination be your limit.

**your_comforting_company** · 10-21-2009, 08:32 PM

my avatar pic, by the way, is the dew-claw bone in a deers leg. It is already the basic shape of a needle and has a hole that a tendon runs through. this is generally referred to as the 'needle bone'. a little drilling with the rock, a little sharpening with the sandstone, and you got something you can work with, without a bunch of bleaching and such.

**Bladen** · 10-21-2009, 09:29 PM

outstanding info guys!

thank you very much

Bladen

**pocomoonskyeyes** · 10-21-2009, 10:44 PM

Erunkiswildrnssurvival is known as "trapperJack" on youtube. Or you can just click on this, to find it. He has a number of different subjects covered. Really Good Material. You can use the shoulder blade of bird bones for fish hooks. just carve a J out of them.

**erunkiswldrnssurvival** · 10-22-2009, 08:18 AM

thanks Pocomoonskeyes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iA73bwPasIE . bone working is one of my favorite subjects.

**Timber_wolf** · 10-23-2009, 04:18 AM

I have used Dremels to shape and smooth bone for my own projects. You really need a steady hand and some skill with the Dremel to pull it off, but it comes out pretty good.

Pin vices are good for putting small holes in smaller bones for lashing and such.

Files also work really well for shaping.

High grit, wet sanding is great for polishing, though I do not polish mine very often. Most of my projects in bone are primitive aboriginal style projects so finishing is not something I go all out on.

**hunter63** · 10-23-2009, 11:47 AM

I've worked with bone, antler and horn and used saws sanders drills etc.
Just don't do it in the basement when DW is having company upstairs............

**Beo** · 10-23-2009, 11:58 AM

Are you doing Scrimshaw? Not done too much other than scrimshaw on horn and it can be easy but takes time. Have made some turkey call bone whistles and ya gotta boil them to hollow them out. What type of work are ya doing?

**trax** · 10-23-2009, 12:13 PM

Beowulf65? I've heard of that guy. There's a guy that works for me that does a lot of work with antlers and he uses Dremel pretty much exclusively.

**Old GI** · 10-23-2009, 01:41 PM

Originally Posted by pocomoonskyeyes

Erunkiswildrnssurvival is known as "trapperJack" on youtube. Or you can just click on this, to find it. He has a number of different subjects covered. Really Good Material. You can use the shoulder blade of bird bones for fish hooks. just carve a J out of them.

Wow, that fish hook thing has me really thinking now. Oh, I need some aspirin.

**Bladen** · 10-23-2009, 07:02 PM

i just wanted to make a primative knife.
maybe froma jaw bone or something.
im not really sure yet.
i kinda want to get more input before i start.

**crashdive123** · 10-23-2009, 07:06 PM

There was a picture (since removed) where somebody made a small drop point blade. I think he made it from the bone out of a T-bone steak. Look at the bright side - if it doen't work, you still had a mighty fine meal.

**TomChemEngineer** · 10-23-2009, 08:53 PM

I have some friends that have done work with bone. I have been considering it for a nice knife handle, a jaw bone, but have not done it yet. I clipped this from a site and it is pretty close to what my friends do. This is for a magnifying glass handle, but applies to knives as well. Epoxy the full tang blade into the bone and finish it off. Note that using ivory (as indicated below) is restricted in the US.

from:
http://www.essortment.com/hobbies/cr...oneha_trph.htm

Several tools are needed to craft a bone handle for a magnifying glass:

bone

jewelers saw with spare saw blades

band saw (optional)
vice

sandpaper

hand tool with buffing attachment or a bench lathe buffer

The use of a band saw for the initial cutting is optional, but it will take longer to do this with a jeweler's saw.

Use any type of bone for this project, as long as the bone is strong enough to function as a handle. If you are carving for the first time, you may not want to use expensive bone, like ivory. Work with beef bone, for example. Obtain a piece that is of an appropriate thickness, one considerably larger than you need. This gives you some room for error and experimentation. When removing material from an object, it's usually easier to work with something that is too big, than to work with something that is too small.

If the bone has not been properly cleaned, do so by soaking it in warm water for 2 or 3 hours. Use a knife to scrape away marrow, if it is present. Return the bone to water for 20 minutes, or so, with a bit of ajax-type cleaner, and bleach mixed in. This will pull any remaining oils from the bone, and the bleach will make the bone lighter in color. After doing this, let the bone dry completely.

A quick and accurate way to design the shape of your bone handle is to use an object as a template. Find something with a handle that you would like to reproduce, or form a handle out of anything. Use folded newspaper and tape, for example, and form it into a shape that fits well in the hand. Remember that you can carve and sand contours into the bone, later, so don't worry about making your template perfect in every detail.

Draw the shape of the handle onto the surface of the bone. Use a pencil to do this, because it marks well, but keep in mind that you will be cutting and sanding away any initial marks that you make on the bone, so the lines that you draw can be as dark as you want them to be.

Once you have drawn the handle shape, use a machine, such as a band saw, to cut the shape out of the bone -- or cut the bone manually. To do this by hand, secure the bone in a vice, with the drawing face-up. Use a jeweler's saw to cut into the bone. Do this slowly, with vertical movements, keeping your hand as steady as possible. Try not to saw too fast. Jeweler's saw blades tend to heat up and break from friction.

Once you've sawed out your basic handle shape, go in again to complete any other lines. If you want the handle to be cylindrical, cut the initial square shape into an octagon, and the edges can be sanded off, later.

After you have your rough shape cut from bone, sand it to clean up the rough edges, and to create contours. Purchase a wide range of sandpapers that are of the same brand. Start with a rough grit sandpaper, and as you work, progress to a finer paper. Doing this will make the handle smoother, and smoother.

Buff your bone handle to give it a very smooth and shiny look. Whether you use a hand tool with a buffing attachment, or a bench lathe buffer, wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from flying particles.

Tom's Note: Also wear the dust mask.
I think I might try this over Christmas! Thanks for reminding me.
Oh, and I worked with beef bone when I made dulcimers years ago. It works like hardwood without the grain. good material, but it sometimes splinters so be careful.

**your_comforting_company** · 11-10-2009, 08:13 PM

Here's something I did today while I had a break from processing meat and skins. Maybe it is of some use. If not, maybe you'll get a laugh.

Ken. Don't look at the fifth pic!

Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

I tried to make it a slideshow step by step. click the pic to see the slides