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Making bone nuts/working with bone

I have a uke that needs a bone apron for the bridge and a cbg that needs a bone nut. So I bought some beef bones from the market, boiled them for 10 minutes, let my dog suck the marrow out... now what?

Before cutting should I boil them longer? Bleach them? Not sure how to proceed.

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on September 16, 2012 at 10:46pm

I goto 1200 wet/dry paper and a bit of spit til they nice and glossy, same as for steel bits, seashells, horn etc. no lacquer or anything like that

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Permalink Reply by Randy S. Bretz on September 17, 2012 at 12:04am

Kind of hard to do that with a carved piece, the nuts i could see though. My slides i use 2000 grit as the final sanding then lemon oil and buff out to a hard glass smooth shine. Any carved pieces get at least 3 coats of Deft spray laquer. Nuts and saddles i leave untouched.

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Permalink Reply by Michael R Cossey on November 20, 2012 at 12:58pm

As mentioned Bone Dust is hazardous ...always wear breathing protection and ALSO......."Sealed Eye Protection / goggles ...I've been told just getting it into your eye's can be harmful .....then if you cover up well, coveralls , something to keep the dust out of your hair / beard ...do it all outside, well ventilated, then hang your cloths outside on a line where the breeze / wind can dust them off of a good rain comes a poring down.....after all that, a good shower.......

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Permalink Reply by Redbelly on November 20, 2012 at 1:58pm

I use beef bone which my butcher cuts up. The centre section I use to make slides, I use the bone ends as well as any centres left over for both bridges and nuts. Boil the bone for 20-30 minutes after doing the rough cutting out with a hacksaw. Not having a dog I put the bone on an ants nest for a few days. I do the final shaping on a belt /disc sander combination bench. I believe that if you soak bone in vinegar for several days it becomes soft. I have tried carving and it seems to work.

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Permalink Reply by Chris Thomas on November 24, 2012 at 8:26am

Hi, if you find the bone is fatty soaking in liquid lighter fuel removes the fat, (big jar with tight fitting lid) repeat until clear and any brown in the liquid has been eradicated. Dry in the open air away from any naked flames, takes only a short while. Carve/shape with Dremel or similar with cutters/grinders/sanders. ALWAYS WEAR A GOOD QUALITY MASK AND SAFETY GLASSES. To give a nice smooth polished finish, sand with a fine grit abrasive and buff to a shiny finish with car paint restorer (UK brand T-Cut) or similar. I prefer to work with deer antler but it is not as readily available in the UK and is fairly expensive. Hope this helps, Chris. :)