Need Advice for Finish Polishing Bone Scales

[P. Ortiz]

I'm posting to see if anyone here can recommend a compound and a technique for putting a high polish on bone scales. The ones I'm working on are giraffe bone and warthog tusk. These are finished knives that I just want to polish-up and maintain at a bit higher level than they are right now. Thanks.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Buffing with green rouge on a loose muslin buff will give them a mirror shine.
If polishing by hand, use Simichrome polish (or similar) on a soft cloth and rub briskly. You don't need much polish at all when hand polishing.
A coat of paste wax when you are finished is a great idea.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I've found polishing pastes like Flitz or Simichrome work well, for polishing bone covers on knives. Just need to be careful to protect or cover adjacent metal bolsters, so the polish doesn't generate any metal swarf to be rubbed into the bone. If the bone is light-colored, that dark swarf can stain it near the seam between the two. That can usually be cleaned up, even with the polishing paste, if done carefully. But it's an annoyance you want to avoid.

 

[P. Ortiz]

Thank you, fellas! I use both Flitz and Simichrome fairly often on metal. In fact; I used Flitz just last night to bring back a mirror polish to one of my watches. Never thought of trying either of them on the bone scales.

 

[Working Edge]

Because bone is porous, I don't use compounds of any sort to polish bone.
Instead, I polish by hand using 3M polishing papers.
These papers are open-coat, wet-or-dry in micron grits, and they don't pack the open pores of bone with color, as compounds will do.

https://www.rshughes.com/p/3M-281Q-...Backing-3-Grit-Ultra-Fine-81329/051144_81329/

Stewart MacDonald also offers the polishing papers, in a sample pack....

https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-too...hing-papers/3m-flexible-polishing-papers.html

Take a look at the product, I believe you will find it intriguing. I use the papers wherever clean, residue-free polishing is needed, not to mention, for sharpening also.
Mark

 

[Bill DeShivs]

In colored bone, pore coloring is a non-issue.

 

[P. Ortiz]

Because bone is porous, I don't use compounds of any sort to polish bone.
Instead, I polish by hand using 3M polishing papers.
These papers are open-coat, wet-or-dry in micron grits, and they don't pack the open pores of bone with color, as compounds will do.

https://www.rshughes.com/p/3M-281Q-...Backing-3-Grit-Ultra-Fine-81329/051144_81329/

Stewart MacDonald also offers the polishing papers, in a sample pack....

https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-too...hing-papers/3m-flexible-polishing-papers.html

Take a look at the product, I believe you will find it intriguing. I use the papers wherever clean, residue-free polishing is needed, not to mention, for sharpening also.
Mark

Thanks for this information. I'll be doing some homework!

 

[Working Edge]

In colored bone, pore coloring is a non-issue.

Right you are...!
My narrow point of reference for bone was the unbleached and bleached bone which I use on stringed instruments, where I want to avoid staining the bone....
Mark

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Should you stain light colored bone, mix a thick paste of dishwashing liquid, baking soda, and water and scrub the bone in the direction of the pits or canals. This should remove much of the discoloration. Once dry, apply a coat of paste wax and buff.

 

[Working Edge]

Thanks.!