Author Topic: Score some clean bone?  (Read 2060 times)

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Offline Prarie Bowyer

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Score some clean bone?
« on: December 04, 2012, 01:44:34 am »
I'm looking to score some clean bone for making arrow heads.

Local place has cow bones but it's stuffed witih dog snack treats.

There is a game butcher.  If I boil and bleach (peroxide) the bones will it hurt the durability of the bone?

Offline JackCrafty

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Re: Score some clean bone?
« Reply #1 on: December 04, 2012, 04:16:06 am »
Petsmart has bleached white cow bone.  You can order online.  That's what I do.  ;D
Any critter tastes good with enough butter on it.

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Midland, Texas
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Where's Rock? Public Waterways, Road Cuts, Landscape Supply, Knap-Ins.
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Offline Scowler

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Re: Score some clean bone?
« Reply #2 on: December 04, 2012, 08:34:36 am »
Check out Moscow Fur and Hide.

Offline crooketarrow

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Re: Score some clean bone?
« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2012, 10:49:55 am »
  I built a bow for a guy last year and made him a 1/2 dozzen heads also. Cut (carved)out of moose antler with a drimel. Moose antlers not properous like deer antler. Meaning it's solid all the way through. Sharpen and tempered them with fire. They came out really well. Give moose antler a go it's the cleanest bone I know of.
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Offline madcrow

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Re: Score some clean bone?
« Reply #4 on: December 07, 2012, 12:05:28 am »
Most fo teh bone I boil gets boiled for about ten minutes.  Scrape it and let it air out some and the i simmer it in the peroxide (half a cup with enough water to cover the bone) for about ten minutes.  Usually it does not take that long for teh bone to bleach out.  I have not noticed any adverse effects from the boiling.  Its just as strong as raw bone.

Offline stickbender

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Re: Score some clean bone?
« Reply #5 on: December 13, 2012, 02:41:19 am »

     Most of the pet stores have bleached bones, without the stuffing.  You can get some pretty good sized ones too.  I used to do a lot of bone carving, and used to go out in the dairy pastures, and get the bones of the cows that died.  I would boil them, and then bleach them for a day, and and saw them in half, and then carve them.  The will polish up really nice, almost look like ivory, or plastic.  I have not noticed any difference from the raw bone, or dried bone, or boiled bone.  Once it dried, it was the same as the others, as far as I could tell, from a carving point. I used to buy leg shanks till they got as expensive as the pricier cuts of meats.  I would cut the meat off for stew, and use the bone for the marrow, in the stew, and then clean off the bone, and carve it.  I would select the thickest shank bone for that. Also those big raw hide chew bones, when soaked, will untie, and make good practice pieces for brain tanning. ;)  Usually there are a couple of pieces in there, of various sizes. 
If you use a grinder of any sort, wear glasses, and a dust mask. ;)  Good luck.

                                                 Wayne

Offline Scowler

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Re: Score some clean bone?
« Reply #6 on: December 13, 2012, 08:58:34 am »
I second what stickbender said about wearing proper protection when working with bone.  I always wear a dustmask and eye protection when cutting and/or sanding bone. 

Offline paulc

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Re: Score some clean bone?
« Reply #7 on: December 13, 2012, 10:26:23 am »
I recently made arrows out of the thigh bones from last years doe.  I left the bones under the leaf litter all year with a pallet on top of them to keep the coons from dragging them off.  I was able to get about 6 or 8 arrowheads from perhaps 4 bones, can't really remember for sure how many.  They seem stiff enough, most of them are about 7/8" wide at widest point.  I believe GA law says broadheads need to be 3/4" wide but I have to double check that.

FWIW, paul