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]

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-Heinrich Schmidt]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

Nathan Dodds