Need period dye or stain recipe for bone

[Nathan Dodds]

Hello,
My brother and I are constructing a copy of a pocket knife from The Museum of the Confederacy, which has yellow bone handles. I have some good bone but I need a recipe for dying/staining. So if anybody could help me out with this I would appreciate it.
Thanks,
Nathan Dodds

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

Re: Need period dye or stain recipe for bone

I've had good luck with leather dye. It comes in various shades and you can experiment a little with coloration and darkness on a small piece of extra material if you have it.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Need period dye or stain recipe for bone

Hallo!

Just as an aside...
Ivory and bone "yellow" naturally over time.
I believe what you are lookng at is age patina on an antique, and not what the article looked like at the time it was in use...

Curt

[KyCavMajor]

Re: Need period dye or stain recipe for bone

Hallo!

Just as an aside...
Ivory and bone "yellow" naturally over time.
I believe what you are lookng at is age patina on an antique, and not what the article looked like at the time it was in use...

Curt

Exactly Herr Schmidt!

[Nathan Dodds]

Re: Need period dye or stain recipe for bone

Just as an aside...
Ivory and bone "yellow" naturally over time.

It is true that white bone will turn yellow over time. The Knife I am trying to copy really does not look like the aged yellow though (To bright). Dyed jigged bone was used a lot on pocket knives, so that is what I think was done with this particular knife.


Nathan Dodds

[Nathan Dodds]

Re: Need period dye or stain recipe for bone

I've had good luck with leather dye. It comes in various shades and you can experiment a little with coloration and darkness on a small piece of extra material if you have it.

Period if possible please! :)

[Becky Morgan]

Re: Need period dye or stain recipe for bone

Black walnuts are ripe right now. A quick, judicious application of a fairly fresh, mostly green hull might give the shade you want if you'll rub the handle vigorously between your palms so it doesn't streak. By the way, the non-period hand sanitizer will get most walnut color off your hands.

--Becky Morgan

[Nathan Dodds]

Re: Need period dye or stain recipe for bone

Thanks, I will have to try the walnuts(plenty around here).
Oh yikes, non peroid sanitizer! :wink_smil

Nathan Dodds