I have a uke that needs a bone apron for the bridge and a cbg that needs a bone nut. So I bought some beef bones from the market, boiled them for 10 minutes, let my dog suck the marrow out... now what?
Before cutting should I boil them longer? Bleach them? Not sure how to proceed.
Replies
Hi, if you find the bone is fatty soaking in liquid lighter fuel removes the fat, (big jar with tight fitting lid) repeat until clear and any brown in the liquid has been eradicated. Dry in the open air away from any naked flames, takes only a short while. Carve/shape with Dremel or similar with cutters/grinders/sanders. ALWAYS WEAR A GOOD QUALITY MASK AND SAFETY GLASSES. To give a nice smooth polished finish, sand with a fine grit abrasive and buff to a shiny finish with car paint restorer (UK brand T-Cut) or similar. I prefer to work with deer antler but it is not as readily available in the UK and is fairly expensive. Hope this helps, Chris. :)
I use beef bone which my butcher cuts up. The centre section I use to make slides, I use the bone ends as well as any centres left over for both bridges and nuts. Boil the bone for 20-30 minutes after doing the rough cutting out with a hacksaw. Not having a dog I put the bone on an ants nest for a few days. I do the final shaping on a belt /disc sander combination bench. I believe that if you soak bone in vinegar for several days it becomes soft. I have tried carving and it seems to work.
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As mentioned Bone Dust is hazardous ...always wear breathing protection and ALSO......."Sealed Eye Protection / goggles ...I've been told just getting it into your eye's can be harmful .....then if you cover up well, coveralls , something to keep the dust out of your hair / beard ...do it all outside, well ventilated, then hang your cloths outside on a line where the breeze / wind can dust them off of a good rain comes a poring down.....after all that, a good shower.......
Kind of hard to do that with a carved piece, the nuts i could see though. My slides i use 2000 grit as the final sanding then lemon oil and buff out to a hard glass smooth shine. Any carved pieces get at least 3 coats of Deft spray laquer. Nuts and saddles i leave untouched.
Do you guys seal the bone with any kind of finish? I've heard they can shrink over time.
I usually give them a shot of Deft laquer
I think you've heard incorrectly. Bone is mostly calcium with a few extra minerals. As long as it's not exposed to an acid, it will remain as is. This explains why bleaching bone with "sodium hypochlorite", otherwise known as bleach, makes them brittle and chalky.
I soak the bones I use in hydrogine peroxide to whiten them up and then let them air dry, bleach tends to make them chalky and brittle. I almost always use deer bones so I walk through the timber and find them on the ground ready for the peroxide bath. I would have to agree with the others and say to use a hack saw,band saw or Dremel to cut with, I'm afraid we would have to start calling you "Lefty" or "Patch" if you run them through the table saw.
I put the bone in a vise,cut blanks with a hack saw. ait's a safe way to do it.Plus you don't need a dust mask.
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