my new knives

[weeping wolf]

Hi Gray Wolf...Your knives are truly a work of art, and look to be very practical. :hatsoff: I'm also a leatherworker and was admiring those 2 crosses that appear in your photo. Are they also your own creation or were they made elsewhere? I'm asking because I've been looking around for something similar to adorn the flaps of some of my possibles bags. Can you tell me the app. size of those crosses and where I can get them? Thankyou for your help, and once again; your knives are beautiful. Weeping Wolf. :thumbsup:

 

[Goldhunter]

Does the Old bones solution alter the look of the metal also? Or does it just affect the organic type stuff like bone and horn?

 

Hi Gray Wolf...Your knives are truly a work of art, and look to be very practical. :hatsoff: I'm also a leatherworker and was admiring those 2 crosses that appear in your photo. Are they also your own creation or were they made elsewhere? I'm asking because I've been looking around for something similar to adorn the flaps of some of my possibles bags. Can you tell me the app. size of those crosses and where I can get them? Thank you for your help, and once again; your knives are beautiful. Weeping Wolf. :thumbsup:

Howdy W Wolf - The top cross is an original silver trade cross by Robert Cruikshank circa 1800 - the value is in the four figures! The second one is one I made of iron some 30+ years ago. I do make my own silver like this one:

I use 22 gauge Sterling and cut it out with chisels, then file to shape, engrave suing a simple home made graver, and then age.

There are several sources for trade silver: Cooner54 who post here is one source. Also look in the links section here and there are several others including friend Dan at DM Trading - Google Trade Silver and you will find others

GoldHunter - Ole Bones aka Potassium permanganate is a strong oxidizer and will stain everything it touches including your hands, clothes, etc! After using I recommend neutralizing since it is an oxidizer. I along with several other makers I know no longer use it as it tends to turn "ratty" looking over time. I've been using leather dye for better than 30 years now and prefer it over anything else I've tried and I've tried a bunch of stuff! Others mileage will vary.......

 

[Goldhunter]

So, use something like baking soda to neutralize it? I just got some and tried it on one of my knives. I don't know if I didn't use it strong enough or what, but it didn't look as dark as I wanted it. I left it in for varying amounts of time.