Bone is one of the best materials to work with. It's versatile, strong and soft, small and big, comes in a bunch of shapes, sizes, thicknesses, basically, it rocks.
Finding/getting some is the trick. It's best to get it from an animal In my case an elk. then you get meat, fat to render, tendon for sinew, fur, and bones! It really is awesome how much of the animal you can use. You can also Buy bones from any place that sells meat. Pet stores also carry a variety of bones.
A small list from various sources shows a few bone specific uses:
- Use long leg bones for such things as pins, needles, and hooks.
- Use thick-walled bones for dice, belt buckles, and strap ends.
- Use shoulder blades for combs, weaving tablets, and axes.
- Use elk ribs for Arrow shaft wrenchs
- Use bird leg bones (turkey, goose, swan, etc.) for flutes and needle cases.
This site lists a BUNCH of great traditional tools, there uses, and what bone to use. The format is great so I won't reproduce the information here. some key items are Fishhooks, Arrow-Shaft Wrenches, Hoes and more.
For something used mainly for decoration,
This site lists a TON of Maori hooks and things made from bone.
(The following is reproduced for my reference and yours ;) from
This SiteInitial Preparation
- Remove as much meat as possible from the fresh bone.
- Boil the bone until the remaining meat, tendons, etc., are falling off, making sure that the water covers the bone at all times. Run ventilation fans and/or open windows! (Do not bake the bone as baking makes the bone more brittle.)
- Allow the bone to cool to the point where it can be handled.
- Trim off all remaining bits of cartilage, gristle, and exposed marrow with a knife.
- For hollow bird bones, clean out marrow with files.
- Scrub the bone under hot running water with a scrubbing pad.
- Allow the cleaned bone to air-dry.
- Repeat steps 2 to 6 if flies are showing too much interest.
Rough Shaping
- Use dry bone to saw. Wet bone is more difficult as it quickly gums up the saw teeth.
- Use a fine-toothed saw to shape the bone as close as possible to its final shape. (Fine-toothed saws are available at hobby stores.)
Fine Shaping
- Use wet bone to cut with a knife. If the bone has totally dried out, soak it for a day or so in water. If the bone dries out as you are working it, let it soak again for a while until it is easy to cut again.
- Use a very sharp knife, such as an X-acto knife, to shape the bone to its final form.
- Always wear some sort of thumb guard to protect the thumb you are carving towards. Leather quilting thimbles work well, but a simple leather guard can easily be sewn. Make sure it covers most of the thumb.
Finishing
- Bone can be worked very finely with a knife. As it is worked, it will also become smoother due to the oils from the carver’s fingers.
- Use dry bone to sand or file.
- Use an emery board, file, or sandpaper to finish off any last rough edges or to sharpen the point on a needle.
Carving Surface Designs
- Incise the lines of the surface design using a sharp knife on wet bone. If it is difficult to see the lines, use a pencil or let the bone dry out a little.
- Widen the lines by scraping along the lines using the edge of a knife, a nail, or some other like object on dry bone. This makes it possible to carefully control the degree of bone removal.
- If desired, use one of the historical methods of enhancing the carving:
- paint the lines.
- differentiate the background from the pattern with cross-hatching or other fillers
What To Make
The following items are documented at various times from the Roman period to the Renaissance.
Toiletry Articles - comb, comb case, mirror case, brush backing, ear scoop, tweezers, combination ear scoop/tweezers
Personal Articles - button, belt buckle, strap end, spectacle frame, ring, bead
Textile Implements - pin, pin beater, needle, needle case, shuttle, bobbin, weaving tablet (square and triangular), spindle whorl, rigid heddle, weaving comb, ironing board, lucet knitting tool, weaving sword.
Tools - knife handle, sword hilt, dagger hilt, sword quillon, dagger quillon, axe head, spoon, strainer, awl, pick, bucket handle, pottery stamp, toggle, line winder, line stretcher, part of a key, hinge, coin balance, apple corer/cheese scoop, cleaver, door-sneck, cleaver
Musical Instruments - flute, whistle, parts such as tuning peg and tail-piece
Pastimes - dice, gaming piece, ice skate
Miscellaneous - box/casket mount, figurine, prayer amulet, holder for straightening metal pins, seal matrix, writing tablet, stylus
The very best reference on this subject is Arthur MacGregor, Bone, Antler, Ivory, and Horn: The Technology of Skeletal Materials Since the Roman Period, published by Barnes and Noble, 1985. Not only does it provide clear information on the morphology of each type of material, it gives excellent dated examples of many of the uses to which bone was put.
