Sources of bone for working.

[tombear]

Apart from badgering the butcher can anyone sugest a source of bone suitable for working?

I've picked up a copy of Arthur Mac Gregors excellent " Bone, Antler, Ivory & Horn, The technology of skeletal materials since the Roman period" and even just a quick flick through has inspired me to make some of the vstuff in it.

I'm pretty sure that all my modelling tools will be useful for this stuff, augmented by some heavier duty stuff like handrills and rasps. If I don't have any tank/hole saws small enough I'm planing to file teeth into some copper tube of the right size to do the buttons I want to make.

What I'd like to find most is oxen leg bones, not something our local sausage merchant is likely to have.

Any sugestions? I'm in East Lancashire.

ATB

Tom

 

[chas brookes]

Try your local pet shop ours has big sections of prebleached sections of thigh bone for dogs. But be aware cooked or bone that has been dry for a while is harder to work

 

[John Fenna]

For smaller bits Attleborough Accessories sell disks and scales of Camel bone.

 

[Rui]

I just go to the beach. There's lots of big cow bones ready to work.

 

[launditch1]

I cant help with sourcing bone but i would like to know what is on the cover of the book you describe?Im sure ive got a copy...somewhere...!thanks.

 

[QDanT]

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/11322217/making-a-bone-flute
just thought I'd post for anyone fancying a go (click full screen top right bar)
cheers all Danny

 

[tombear]

I cant help with sourcing bone but i would like to know what is on the cover of the book you describe?Im sure ive got a copy...somewhere...!thanks.

The book is a A4 soft back with two yellow bands running horizontally around the front and back and with one yellow band on the front that is vertical. The writing is just on the yellow bands, not the grey background. There a black on yellow illustration of a boneworker at his bench with a variety of products before him. ISBN 0-7099-3242-1 1985

Thanks for the tips folks, I have found a list of abbatoirs for Lancashire , no e-mail adresses so I will have to contact them by real mail. They may be willing to help if I'm lucky.

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=o0MflvaPJ3MC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=&f=false

I must finish the horn spork first!

ATB

Tom

 

[Toddy]

A while back I back I bought a mixed bag of assorted vintage needles and in among them were a lot of bone ones. These still crop up on ebay (I'd offer mine but I've kind of given away all but the ones that are actually sets). These needles were from 2mm to 10mm thick and up to 25cms long.
The ones I gave away turned out to be ideal for small tool handles, hooks and lace bobbins.

cheers,
M