A sharp, custom-finished knife is the pride of many men. You can’t do without such weapons in everyday life and on a trip to nature. Hunters and fishermen cannot imagine their lives without a knife with a well-made handle and a sharply sharpened blade.
Advantages and disadvantages of bone knives
Knives with a bone die have a number of advantages over classic models. First, they are aesthetically pleasing. Secondly, the high durability of such edged weapons deserves undeniable respect among professional hunters and fishermen. Such products are durable and reliable.
However, bone knives also have disadvantages. So, many people do not like them for the too smooth surface of the bone, especially if it does not have notches for fingers.
Types of bone handles
The bone knife is made from three types of materials. Here is their list:
- skeletal bones;
- animal shell (eg turtles);
- horns and hooves of large animals.
Depending on the type of animal, the price of materials for making a bone knife also increases.
Handles made of animal material can be simple in shape and reinforced at both ends with metal parts (rivets or overlays).
Using skeletal bones as a handle
Also, the handles of bladed weapons are made from deer, elk and antelope bones. You can meet folding knives from the skeletons of animals such as sheep and goats. Since such material often has rather large folds and folds on its surface, it is difficult for the master to grind it. Because of this, products made from the bones of these animals are not cheap.
Skeleton bones of only large sizes are used for the manufacture of edged weapons. Basically, these are limbs in the form of long tubes, the wall thickness of which does not exceed 10 mm. They are either sawn out, making smooth white plates, or cut across, getting bushings, which are subsequently put on the knife handle.
Horns as decoration
The horns of dead animals have a dense fibrous structure. When processing such a material, a very attractive mother-of-pearl shimmer appears.
Speaking of the popularity of such processes as a material for making bone knives, it can be firmly stated that there is no animal in the world whose horns would not decorate the handle of any edged weapon. However, most often masters prefer to use bull horns. This is due to the fact that from the array of this materialyou can easily get the desired size blank. The steamed horn of this animal under pressure acquires any, even the most intricate shape, while the material does not break, and cracks do not form on it.
Blades with black horn handles were especially valued. This is due to the high strength of this material. It does not break even when hit hard.
If the bone is mounted entirely in the form of a pipe, then it is better to choose a small horn. The finished handle made of such material lies comfortably in the hand, it seems to grow together with the hand of the owner of the weapon. The fingers are clearly fixed in the optimal position.
In Russia, the most popular material for making a knife handle is deer or elk horn. The wrinkled shell of such a natural material resembles the bark of an old tree, thanks to this property, the master does not need to additionally process the workpiece. The processed shell of turtles is inimitably beautiful. It is thanks to the magnificent appearance after polishing that the craftsmen fell in love with this natural material. They adorn almost any weapon that exists in the world, from hunting rifles to knives.
Because the horns are quite strong and have sufficient toughness, there is no need to reinforce them with rings and sleeves.
Decoration of edged weapons with animal teeth
The teeth of large animals, which are often used to decorate expensive models of edged weapons, are often covered with carvings. The homogeneous structure of this material seems to have been created by nature itself, forin order to depict various carved compositions on it. Thus, the handles of bone knives become a wide field of activity for craftsmen who are engaged in artistic carving. Pictures with many characters are depicted on the teeth of large animals.
Traditional Chinese and Japanese designs are often found on expensive examples of edged weapons decorated with the teeth of dead animals.
A material such as a tusk has high strength characteristics, and it also endures strong mechanical stress. To make a blank for a knife handle, the tusks are carefully polished, so that the surface of the bone acquires a beautiful and noble dark color. Sometimes a polished blank is tinted for a more acceptable appearance.
The resulting knife handle is pleasant to touch with your hands, it is always warm to the touch. Due to this property, the owners of these blades call their weapon alive, treat it accordingly carefully and accurately, as if it were a living creature
Jewelers and artists prefer working mammoth tusks rather than ivory. According to them, the material obtained as a result of excavations of long-dead herd animals is much higher quality, stronger and whiter than elephant tusks.
Northern peoples prefer to make war blades from walrus tusks. Such material has a noble white color and high strength. Masters often carve three-dimensional drawings from fangs, as well as deep risks, where dark paint is then rubbed. This is a kind of family badge of noble families.peoples of the north.
Weapon decorations with a piece of tortoise shell
After processing, the hard tortoise shell turns into a homogeneous mass, which is very similar in color to amber. Due to the too high price, such material is used only on expensive models of knives. Most often, these are folding items of solid size.
Such material is perhaps the most valuable among the above. Since the population of turtles in the world is decreasing every day, the price of shell products will increase over time. In this regard, knives decorated with such material are rarely used for their intended purpose, they are mainly purchased by collectors.
DIY bone knife
First you need to prepare a blade with a flat metal handle. The metal must be clean, free of corrosion and contamination. Otherwise, you need to process the workpiece with sandpaper.
The bone must be chosen in such a size that it is equal in size or exceeds the area of the handle.
Next, you should draw the shape of the future bone handle of the knife and, according to the resulting pattern, cut off the extra parts on the workpiece using a grinder.
Having fixed the bone in a vise, it is necessary to cut it across into two parts. For this task, a jigsaw for metal is suitable. Then the cuts need to be carefully polished with a sandpaper, and then get rid of the dust on the surface. It is desirable that the inside of the bone lining be slightly concave. This is necessary so that the edges are pressed tightly against the handle. Such a result canachieve using a grinder.
Knife assembly
You can glue both parts of the bone handle of a knife with epoxy or ordinary second glue, which is designed for gluing metals and natural materials (animal bones). After the surfaces are glued and aligned, add a little more glue on top so that it fills all the microcracks. Next, you need to firmly clamp the product into the clamp so that excess glue flows down. They need to be removed as soon as possible with a cloth dipped in acetone. Now it remains to wait a bit until the glue is completely dry.
Additional handle attachment
Glue is not enough to hold the bone material to the metal part of the knife. In order for the weapon to serve its owner for a long time, it is necessary to drill through the lining in two places. To do this, you need to take a drill for metal. Next, insert metal studs into the holes and roll them on both sides.
At the final step, polish the bone handle of the knife by hand using fine sandpaper.
So that the natural material on the weapon does not get dirty, you need to soak it in oil. After such impregnation, a protective coating (varnish) can be applied after a day. The bone knife is ready to go.
