Best and cheapest Dyes for Bone ?

[airborne09]

Not sure if this is the right section of the forum to send this thread but here goes . I am looking to dye the scales on a couple of slipjoint knives I have ( a light blue colour ) . The bone on these scales is bovine / cow bone , any ideas as to which type of dyes would be much appreciated , ie water based or whatever . Thanks

 

[Tengu]

I dont know!

And historically osseus projects were dyed.

I suspect they used some nasty things like verdigris, maybe.

Try Kool Aid?

 

[bobnewboy]

I think I’d try Fiebings oil based dyes. I can’t see water based dyes really doing too much.

 

[airborne09]

Ive heard that food colouring can be used but I wondered if you would get any bleed from that after handling the knife ? unless a sealant could be used ?

 

[Toddy]

We dyed bone beads by boiling them up in strong tea....walnut hulls would probably do the job too.

Honestly ? I think I'd just buy a leather dye for a decent job on a knife handle.

 

[airborne09]

Thanks Guys

 

[Toddy]

Be interesting to hear how you get on with it, and what you think about the result.

 

[airborne09]

Be interesting to hear how you get on with it, and what you think about the result.

Hello Toddy , Ive actually done a practice run on an old piece of smooth bone I came across in my hobbies kit using a turquoise coloured food colouring . At first I just placed the bone in a container of cold water and added the colouring with zero result . Even though the piece of bone had a satin finish as it had been used for burnishing leather for many years , I lightly sanded it using fine grit and placed it back in a container using hot water with the colouring added .I left it standing for about a day and a half , removed it , rinsed it off with cold water , dried it , the result was a rather nice very pale translucent blue . i then seald it using furniture wax followed by renaissance wax and buffed it up to a mid sheen . The nice thing is the grains of the bone are still visible which gives it a bit depth and character ! Ive since rubbed it down and buffed it and held it in my hands for some considerable time and it doesnt bleed or give any colour off which is a good sign . I dare say if I had added more of the food colouring dye and heated the container of water up in the microwave several times , I might have got a deeper colour blue from it ?
One strange thing though , When I first stood the piece of bone upright in the container , I left about 1 1/2" sticking out the top and the heat of the water must have transferred the colouring to the top of the bone , literally colouring the whole piece of bone with the top section an even deeper colour blue ??? Strange . Anyway Im waiting for my white bone knife to get posted and I will do the real test .

 

[Toddy]

I know that blue food colouring is E133, I know that it's relatively stable. I know of it as an Azo dye (my son was allergic to food colourings as a child, I learned very quickly what was known about them back then), and the azo dyes are used to dye materials that are cellulose rich, like rayon, but also wool.
I googled trying to find more about the colour fastness, but only found more science

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027869152300337X

and a simpler article on wikipedia.

Brilliant blue FCF - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I know when I use food colouring in cake decoration that I have to be careful because it will wick if left with any moisture, but then it's in sugar, sometimes with glycerine. It's also an issue with soap dyes at times.

It's good to hear what you have managed with it be interesting to hear how it lasts, etc., too.

M

 

[airborne09]

I know that blue food colouring is E133, I know that it's relatively stable. I know of it as an Azo dye (my son was allergic to food colourings as a child, I learned very quickly what was known about them back then), and the azo dyes are used to dye materials that are cellulose rich, like rayon, but also wool.
I googled trying to find more about the colour fastness, but only found more science

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027869152300337X

and a simpler article on wikipedia.

Brilliant blue FCF - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I know when I use food colouring in cake decoration that I have to be careful because it will wick if left with any moisture, but then it's in sugar, sometimes with glycerine. It's also an issue with soap dyes at times.

It's good to hear what you have managed with it be interesting to hear how it lasts, etc., too.

M

Hi Toddy , Well I went for it and dyed a Rough ryder smooth white bone Copperhead with the food dye . It turned out absolutely stunning in just the colour I was aiming for . Sealed it with numerous coats of Renaissance wax and buffing compound and polished it up . absolutely zero bleed which I was happy about . Sorry still cant access for any photos but if you go to airgunforums.co.uk / Lets see your Rough Ryders (pg 30 ) you will be able to view two photos I managed to send .