Cuttlefish

[gunslinger]

Cuttlefish bone or whatever the technical name is for it, I'm sur e you know what I mean.

Do you know of any use for them other than giving it to the budgie.

GS

 

[mace242]

http://www.pennabilli.org/tecniche/CUTTLEBONE.htm

http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/bpc1911/sepia.html

Kind of interesting... The casting thing was totally new to me.

 

[wanderingblade]

Cuttlefish is one the the very best things you can use to clean polished granite - from kitchen work tops to headstones, it gets off dirt, paint, grime - the lot.

There is also a local artist who carves designs into it and paints it. Looks quite nice.

 

[Bushcraftsman]

Yes casting is a good use for it, we did it in school. Its really easy to carve into and holds the molten metal well.

 

[Wayland]

I've used it for casting pewter before now. It works well.

 

[TeeDee]

Cuttlefish...Cunning little things really.

 

[Singeblister]

Done the casting before once or twice the smell is great ,,,,,,,urrrrgh

 

[Roibeard]

Does it work just with lead and pewter or would be alright to use it to cast with hotter molten metals for example bronze?

 

[Broch]

As kids we would carve it into fish and even butterflies (yep, really).

I've used it as a fine polish for near finished carved wood and on metal.

Because it takes a very fine detail when carved it's quite possible to cast some very nice pieces. I have cast brass/bronze into it but it didn't retain all the detail; probably burnt before the metal had started to harden. I think it's been used to cast gold objects in historic times. (sorry, just read the earlier thread and link - so gold rings then )

 

[Jjja]

A friend mentioned that his grandfather used to use flattened surfaces of cuttlefish bones to strop tool blades. I posted this on British blades yesterday as I was on the hunt for anyone else who had heard of this. I will try it out when I get some next time I visit the beach.

Jjj