Staining bone experimenting

[groomporter]

I've been experimenting with chemically staining bone a brown color for limited edition game pieces instead of the dye I've used for the red. The dye tends to "bleed" out (all puns intended) if it gets wet, whereas the brown would be is water/beer proof -and may have less of an "oogie" factor than the blood-red colored pieces. The brown can look a little burnt or scorched however, and a friend thought maybe the brown might look more rotten, so maybe if I can treat them a little longer to get a more consistent dark brown color.



Here's what the full games sets look like with the red and white bone


These are deer toe bones if anyone is curious.

[RenRobin]

  ???Had me wondering...thanks for the explanation!

[groomporter]

the very dear toes of a late friend...   



-Bambi 

[RenRobin]

So that is what is under the hooves...interesting.

[groomporter]

Yup, the ones I use for the game are the middle bone of the "toe/finger" (the intermediate phalanges), and the pointed one stained brown is the actual tip of the toe inside the hoof. I've got a taxidermist friend who has no use for the small bones so he passes them to me.

[Beautiful Dreamer]

Somewhere I read something about fabric dyes working on bone.  Don't remember where now.  Never fails.    But you might try natural fabric dyes like walnut and stuff.  I do remember the "juice" in walnut hulls will certainly stain your fingers for a while. 

[groomporter]

The red dye was Rit fabric dye, but I find that it bleeds out a bit if it gets wet. I even tried putting it in an old crock pot to heat it and added salt to help set the dye as a trick I've heard some costume makers use

Here's how the brown sets turn out for comparison using potassium permanganate* to change the color.


*Safety Warning: potassium permanganate is an "oxidizer" commonly used to kill bacteria in applications like swimming pool filters. It comes in powder form and will spontaneously combust (i.e. start a fire) when in contact with certain chemicals like glycerin, and can also stain your skin dark brown.

[renren]

Very beautiful work, GP!
I've a question...I've heard of using tea to dye fabric, would it work with bone?

[groomporter]

Possibly, but probably not as dark as I would like.

[The Rabbi]

Having done some scrimshaw work I would suggest printers ink applied with a paper towel to create a stained look instead of a painted look simular to dry brushing.

[groomporter]

I also just discovered you can bend/straighten deer antlers after soaking them in water for 24 hours and then clamping it while it dries. I've only tried the narrower tips so far, so not sure how much the thicker portions will bend, but it will mean more usable portions for turning on my lathe.

[The Rabbi]

Interesting I know that cowhorns soaked can become gelatinouse if soaked too long does this make the antler slimy or loose any of its color. Ive used antlers in svral differnt projects and if it is possible to straighten them then the reverse would hold true as well one would think. Thanks for the info.

[groomporter]

So far I haven't seen it become gelatinous/slimy with just a 24 hour soak, or any change in color. I believe antler is a more boney substance whereas horn is closer to hair in make-up. I had read that you can soak antler and then boil it for 15 minutes to bend it, but just soaking seems to work for the thinner ends.

[The Rabbi]

Are you using anything special to straighten out the tines or doing it by hand. Will probably try to get a larger chunk to bend sometime this week but am thinking{scares the h==l out of me to do that} that if the antler is allready soft enough to bend then something like pliers would leave teeth bites. Not a big deal if turning as you can grab the area to be turned but basically going to leave intact just change the curve to suit my need.

[groomporter]

You can't just bend it, it it has to be clamped while it dries, for my first experiments I've been using the jaws of a bench vice to squish a 3 to 4 inch section straight and leaving it in the vice over night to dry. You could probably make something similar to a wood bending jig to clamp it into especially if you want to repeat the same curve. I should probably start taking some before and after pics.