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Offline Dane

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Dying bone and antler
« on: May 16, 2011, 03:39:11 pm »
Say, has anyone had any experience dying bone and dying antler? I’m thinking of just black for either material. Mostly for bow projects.

Thanks,

Dane
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Greenfield, Western Massachusetts

Offline Del the cat

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    • Derek Hutchison Native Wood Self Bows
Re: Dying bone and antler
« Reply #1 on: May 16, 2011, 03:50:02 pm »
 ??? :'(
Why not use Waterbuffalo horn?... Perhaps it's just me but I hate people dying stuff, let the beauty of the material speak for itself.
Maybe if we tried really hard we could paint the backs of our bows to look like carbonfibre? >:D
Sorry I know sarcasm isn't that pretty either.
Del
(Baaaad kitty, I'll go and hide in my secret cat nest now ::))
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Offline dbb

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Re: Dying bone and antler
« Reply #2 on: May 16, 2011, 04:06:01 pm »
I have never dyed any of those but i bleached buffalohorn once for a knife i made.Gets really pretty actually,a marbled look in honey/toffee colors.
The reason was it was too perfect jet black,looked like plastic.

/Mikael
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Offline Dane

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Re: Dying bone and antler
« Reply #3 on: May 16, 2011, 04:07:37 pm »
Horn would be nice, but these are not for tip overlays or strikeplates. This is primarily for that crossbow I am building...I have decided I want to inlay rectangular pieces of bone or horn along the stock of the crossbow. It will be a lot of work, but I think worth it. What is a bit of madness borne from such monotonous tasks?

What is carbon fiber?

Humor is always appreciated, Del.

Dane
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Greenfield, Western Massachusetts

Offline bubby

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Re: Dying bone and antler
« Reply #4 on: May 19, 2011, 09:27:34 pm »
havn't ever dyed it bu thave taken horn that's kinda bleached out and rubbed in shoe polish, then buffed it out, returns it's natural color, imho, Bub
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Offline R H Clark

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Re: Dying bone and antler
« Reply #5 on: May 19, 2011, 10:11:38 pm »
 Potassium Permanganate is what I use to dye any antler. It turns it a nice natural brown but is really an oxidizer rather than a dye.It's a powder and you just mix it in water to saturation.It takes a few spoon fulls for a quart.Then clean your antler with Acetone and submerge it a bit.The longer you leave it the darker it will get. 5 min. is about all it takes.

PS
It will also instantly age Osage.Just try it on a spare piece to make sure you like it,although it wouldn't take much sanding to get back to yellow.
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Offline Lee Slikkers

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Re: Dying bone and antler
« Reply #6 on: May 20, 2011, 11:51:22 am »
I've dyed antler pieces with alcohol based Tandy Leather Dye...worked pretty well and if thinned a bit seems to saturate the porous material.  Good luck with whatever you use...love to see a finished pic too.
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~ Lee

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"The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant: 'What good is it?"
— Aldo Leopold
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Offline Dane

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Re: Dying bone and antler
« Reply #7 on: May 20, 2011, 11:52:38 am »
Guys, thanks for the tips. I have decided though to forego bone at all, and am sticking with alternating antler and horn (spoke too soon Del) left natural. It will be a kind of checkerboard pattern, which will be apparant once I finish cutting, fitting, and gluing the pieces in place. I hope to do that this weekend or upcoming week. I will post photos then.  

Dane
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Greenfield, Western Massachusetts

Offline sadiejane

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Re: Dying bone and antler
« Reply #8 on: May 20, 2011, 12:31:08 pm »
Quote from: bubby on May 19, 2011, 09:27:34 pm
havn't ever dyed it bu thave taken horn that's kinda bleached out and rubbed in shoe polish, then buffed it out, returns it's natural color, imho, Bub

many of the knife makers i know use this method. it really does look very natural... me thinks anyways

really looking forward to seeing the results...
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