Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Preparation
Cut the ends of the bone off with a hacksaw.
Remove the marrow with a knife.
Put the bones into a pot of water, with a large squirt of dish-washing detergent, and simmer until the meat scraps begin to fall off the bones.
Cool and drain the bones. Scrape the bones with a knife on the inside and the outer surface. Be certain all of the honeycomb bone from the inside is removed.
Dry and cut to the size you wish to carve. Use a coping saw to cut the perimeter of your design.
Cutting
Draw your design on the bone fragment with a pencil.
Examine your pattern to plan the best cutting strategy. At some tight corners, you need to back up the blade. Cut out weaker parts first, such as tight curves.
Use a C-clamp to hold a jeweler's jig. Clamp it off the edge of your work table, to support the bone.
Cut the outside contours of your design with a fine jeweler's blade in a coping saw.
Hold the bone with your left hand, while the right hand saws along the edge of your pattern.
Move and turn the piece of bone over the hole in the jig.
Drill holes where necessary. Thread fine blades through holes to remove interior cut-outs.
Make cuts without stopping whenever possible. Blades can heat up and break from cutting too fast.
File the cut edges with flat and needle files to smooth and round them.
Carving
Use files, deep grooved engravers, drills and grinding stones to form the design on your bone. Grind and carve to remove the bone that is not necessary for your planned design. Use tools with deep bevels.
Tap gently with a hammer to embed the sharp tool tips into the bone surface.
Make a miniature chisel from a razor blade knife. Break a tiny tip from a razor blade knife and sharpen it to make a small chisel shape.
Sharpen dental tools to use for fine engraving strokes.
Sand grooves with 100-grit sandpaper.
Polish with a cotton buffing head attached to a drill.