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Karl Knisley




PostPosted: Mon 01 Feb, 2010 5:30 pm    Post subject: How do I age bone?         Reply with quote

Hello
I`am thinking of buying a, bone carveing,to put in my pommel.Trouble is,it`s bright white.How would I yellow/age it?

Thanks
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Luke Zechman




Location: Lock Haven Pennsylvania
Joined: 18 Jan 2009

Posts: 278

PostPosted: Mon 01 Feb, 2010 5:38 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I have just recently finished a bone grip on a gladi that I rehilted, and after a couple of weeks it has yellowed on it's own. Ok maybe it was a month or two, but in reality all I did was rub the whole hilt with some bees wax. Just give it some time and it will not be as offensive. Besides why risk degrading the material with something that will age it. Hope this helps.
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Ben Sweet




Location: 831
Joined: 21 Aug 2003

Posts: 519

PostPosted: Tue 02 Feb, 2010 3:15 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

It's been many years since I aged bone, I used hot tea and I think it was Earl Grey
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Dan Howard




Location: Maitland, NSW, Australia
Joined: 08 Dec 2004

Spotlight topics: 2
Posts: 3,636

PostPosted: Tue 02 Feb, 2010 4:11 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Just find a grave and dig up some pre-aged bone Wink
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Jeroen Zuiderwijk
Industry Professional



Location: Netherlands
Joined: 11 Mar 2005

Spotlight topics: 2
Posts: 740

PostPosted: Tue 02 Feb, 2010 4:29 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Dan Howard wrote:
Just find a grave and dig up some pre-aged bone Wink

Yeah, but that actually turns the bone white, unless you leave it in very long Happy Bone is actually not very white when new, you have to treaten it to become white (modern by peroxide, ancient by burying or exposing to sunlight). Bone can turn yellow again by keeping it in a dark place for years, which can be undone by exposing it to sunlight for a while.

Jeroen Zuiderwijk
- Bronze age living history in the Netherlands
- Barbarian metalworking
- Museum photos
- Zip-file with information about saxes
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K J Seago




Location: Suffolk, England
Joined: 12 Feb 2009
Likes: 1 page

Posts: 95

PostPosted: Tue 02 Feb, 2010 4:55 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

there was a bone buckle at york found dyed green ,they've tested it and proven that its not just verdigree, very few people know how to do it (not me) but it might be worth considering. I have also heard of soaking bone in black coffe turns bone fron yellowy to dark (Coffee) brown. hope i've helped!
just another student of an interesting subject, Happy
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Kel Rekuta




Location: Toronto, Canada
Joined: 10 Feb 2004
Likes: 1 page

Posts: 616

PostPosted: Tue 02 Feb, 2010 5:32 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Tan or light brown leather dye. Wipe on light coats and buff them off immediately until you are satisfied with the result.
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Shane Allee
Industry Professional



Location: South Bend, IN
Joined: 29 Aug 2003

Posts: 506

PostPosted: Tue 02 Feb, 2010 5:53 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

If you are just wanting to yellow it slightly then linseed oil would be a good way to go. Should help protect it as well. If you are wanting a more dirty brown look, then a tannin bath should do. Teas, bark, and those sorts of things. If you want it dark then you can get into mineral pigment dying. I did a bit of this last summer with pretty good results. I would soak the bone and antler in a tannin bath for a day or two. From there it would go into a vinegar bath of iron oxide, I used ground scale and steel wool. Although the original source I was working from didn't say to, I would soak in each one a few times. The moose antler I used went more of a dark grey, but the bone went black. This coloring is just on the very surface though. One thing that I did was take a file and then cut designs that would show the white through, and this created a very nice look.

This may be something that I'll use in the future, but I don't know. Natural material like this will always have areas that won't take the color as much. To some, this doesn't look good.

I wish that I could find the exact website that I used, but haven't had any luck. I do know that this one helped get me started though. It is a tripod site and has a pop up, sorry.

http://shoot7.tripod.com/madmonk.html

Shane
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Peter Remling





Joined: 28 May 2004

Posts: 50

PostPosted: Tue 02 Feb, 2010 7:21 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

If you are planning on leaving the bone unprotected use one of the staining methods mentioned, coffee, tea, will work slowly, leather or a wood stain are a better choice. All of these methods will penetrate the bone to some depth. If you are planning on sealing the bone you can also pick up a wood stain with polyurethene in it and just apply coats until you reach your desired color/finish.
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Karl Knisley




PostPosted: Wed 03 Feb, 2010 8:36 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Hello
Thanks for the all the suggestions. I`ll give them a try.


Thanks
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Michael Eging




Location: Ashburn, VA
Joined: 24 Apr 2004
Likes: 1 page

Posts: 225

PostPosted: Thu 04 Feb, 2010 9:01 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I do some bone carving that I picked up in New Zealand. Another way is to find a spot in the ground and bury it. The bleaching doesn't occur in the soil (making it white). In the soil, it will pick up color from the soil around it, particularly if it rains a bit. Afterword, you would need to dry it out again.
M. Eging
Hamilton, VA
www.silverhornechoes.com
Member of the HEMA Alliance
http://hemaalliance.com/
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