Stabilizing Bone?

[Rifleman1776]

min wax makes a liquid wood hardner, might try soaking it in there for a while and then letting it air dry.

Fleener

The min wax product is really intended to stabilize punky or porous wood. It will not penetrate on it's own into solid wood. To do that you must have a vacuum system. (some use pressure, it is an ongoing argument. I am a vacuum man)

 

[Black Hand]

That is interesting. The U.S. Army used a vacuum with an epoxy solution to stabilize M14 stocks for use in Viet Nam era Sniper and NM Rifles. The epoxy went completely into the center of the wood. A similar thing would make bone VERY stable.

Gus

Bone isn't porous, as opposed to wood, which will allow vacuum-impregnation. Not much is needed to stabilize it, though it may crack if it gets too dry.

I suggest a good coating of beeswax or grease rubbed-back.

 

[Black Hand]

Bone isn't porous

Not very porous...

 

[Artificer]

That is interesting. The U.S. Army used a vacuum with an epoxy solution to stabilize M14 stocks for use in Viet Nam era Sniper and NM Rifles. The epoxy went completely into the center of the wood. A similar thing would make bone VERY stable.

Gus

Bone isn't porous, as opposed to wood, which will allow vacuum-impregnation. Not much is needed to stabilize it, though it may crack if it gets too dry.

I suggest a good coating of beeswax or grease rubbed-back.

You are correct the hard outer shell is not very porous and I should have written I was mainly referring to any exposed inner core material.

Pen Turners use a number of coats of thinned CA glue on exposed inner core material. Some start each coat with regular thinned CA glue and put CA gap filling adhesive on right afterwards to fill up the pores.

Gus

 

[Black Hand]

In that case, I'd use "super glue".

 

[Artificer]

Super Glue is one type of CA or Cyanoacrylate glue, but it dries VERY fast. Hobby CA glues dry just a bit slower and allow a little bit of repositioning before it dries AND more penetration into the soft core materal.

Gus

 

[Black Hand]

We would heat the super-glue in the microwave before applying (to grain cracks in wooden bow limbs). Should aid in penetration, but beware of the fumes.

 

[Rickey Brown]

I made a vacuum stabilizer from a hand brake line bleeder and a mason jar that I use to impregnate burl woods with min wax hardener. I have used it on bone mostly to color it. I does help with whitetail antler as it is very porous

 

[Rifleman1776]

I made a vacuum stabilizer from a hand brake line bleeder and a mason jar that I use to impregnate burl woods with min wax hardener. I have used it on bone mostly to color it. I does help with whitetail antler as it is very porous

That is a popular set-up with pen turners who may not need high volume.

 

[Nappers]

I made a vacuum stabilizer from a hand brake line bleeder and a mason jar that I use to impregnate burl woods with min wax hardener. I have used it on bone mostly to color it. I does help with whitetail antler as it is very porous

That is a popular set-up with pen turners who may not need high volume.

A buddy of mine uses this to stabilize bone and wood. he uses a wood sealer of some type, common at hardware stores.

 

[BillinOregon]

Henry: I was just reading about using a brake line bleeder to create a vacuum in a Mason jar. Harbor Freight has the bleeders for $25. I have some naturally blue-stained oak I'd like to stabilize for knife scales.

 

[Juice Jaws]

Don't use bleach it will dissolve the bone, use hydrogen peroxide, will clean it up and bring out the color.

 

[Tinker2]

I treat bone by boiling it in vinegar, at least soaking it in vinegar.

It makes it easier to carve or cut. Makes it a lot less brittle, easier to stain too.
Even very delicate things, thin with lots of piercing, are doing well 45 years later.




William Alexander

 

[Black Hand]

I treat bone by boiling it in vinegar, at least soaking it in vinegar.

It makes it easier to carve or cut. Makes it a lot less brittle, easier to stain too.
Even very delicate things, thin with lots of piercing, are doing well 45 years later.

Soaking bone in vinegar extracts the calcium - much like using vinegar to remove the hard-water deposits in a coffee pot. Soak it long enough, and the bone would likely dissolve into jelly...

 

[Tinker2]

I treat bone by boiling it in vinegar, at least soaking it in vinegar.

It makes it easier to carve or cut. Makes it a lot less brittle, easier to stain too.
Even very delicate things, thin with lots of piercing, are doing well 45 years later.

Soaking bone in vinegar extracts the calcium - much like using vinegar to remove the hard-water deposits in a coffee pot. Soak it long enough, and the bone would likely dissolve into jelly...

Bone jelly :rotf: I like that.

:shocked2: I am beginning to wonder if I drank too much vinegar in my youth?



William Alexander