Old School jigged bone

[Corso]

I've looked about for a while on here but can find little detail on how they did it with hand tools?

I also wonder did they know how great it would look once pocket worn?

[Ozwelder]

Hi Corso,
Bone jigging by hand is a subject I do have an interest in. There was a a few lines written in blade magazine and there is also a video. I not sure I am allowed to place links here so if you want them please PM me and I'll send them to you.

I have tried myself an with a Dremel tool. The problem is obtaining a suitable cutter. From the video, the cutting tool being used is somewhat like a lozenge in profile and about 20mm diameter , -3/4" by guesstimate.

I have seen a a cutting tool fashioned from a cheese head screw and made one .You should look for one withe biggest diameter you can lay hands on and try to get a hardened one.

My poor effort has cuts made by the 1mm friction cutting disc to form rough teeth.

Hope this helps,

Ozwelder

[orvet]

Hi Corso,
Bone jigging by hand is a subject I do have an interest in. There was a a few lines written in blade magazine and there is also a video. I not sure I am allowed to place links here so if you want them please PM me and I'll send them to you.

Hope this helps,
Ozwelder

Oz,
I have no problem with you placing a link in here to a video or magazine article.
I don't have a problem with you posting a link to someone selling something, especially if it is knife related and not being sold here on AAPK, like a Dremel burs that you might use in jigging.
We are a lot less uptight about that sort of thing here on AAPK than many of the other knife forums are.

Post away my friend.

[Bill DeShivs]

I believe Corso is talking about hand "picked" bone, rather than hand jigging with power tools.
I assume this is done with a tool similar to a hand graver, which is pushed into the bone and possibly wriggled-causing pieces of the bone to become dislodged.
Perhaps I'll try it tonight in the shop.

[Bill DeShivs]

I got busy, and forgot to try it!

[Corso]

no worries i got lost too

what I'm wondering is how was something like these produced with handtools?

[wlf]

no worries i got lost too

what I'm wondering is how was something like these produced with handtools?



MhFEkMO.jpg

That has always been done with machinery.

[Corso]

Realy?

I'd read that a handtool was used on early european knives

[orvet]

I have lots of hand tools and wood carving tools but I don't know of any that will carve bone like that. I sometimes use wood carving tools to clean up along the edge of a shield inlay. And shave off little splinters of bone along the edge, even then it is not the optimal method.

The big problems with cutting tools and bone is that bone is so hard that the tools will slip from time to time. Very dangerous for your other hand and also frequently resulting in damage to the handle your trying the carve.

[Bill DeShivs]

The depressions are not carved, they are chipped out of the bone.
I would think a graver or small gouge could be used to pry or pick pieces of bone out.

[Mumbleypeg]

In his Levine’s Guide to Knives BRL says, if I interpret it correctly, the earliest bone used for handles was smooth bone. Then in the late 18th and early 19th centuries came smooth white bone cut with a grid or pattern of lines, “used on inexpensive English knife handles”. This was followed by “mechanically gouged bone”, or second cut stag, usually dyed with potassium permanganate to resemble genuine stag. “Distinctive patterns of jigged bone were sold to various knife companies” by companies specialized in mechanically producing it. (He specifically mentions Winterbottom and Rogers as examples).

Sorry but he doesn’t elaborate on how the bone was “cut with a grid or pattern of lines”. No discussion or reference to gouged/jigged bone being produced by other than mechanical methods.

Ken

[Bill DeShivs]

Look up "picked bone."

[Mumbleypeg]

Look up "picked bone."

I don't find "picked bone" in the glossary and index of cutlery terms. I do find "bone" and "jigged", which is where I found the info I posted. I have the 4th and 5th editions of the book.

To be clear, I'm not trying to say hand jigging wasn't done. Just providing what info I'm able to find on the topic for sake of the discussion.

Ken

[Bill DeShivs]

"Pick(ed) bone or scratted bone" was jigged by hand. I went back to the shop and tried an experiment using standard small hand engraving chisels. I was able to successfully produce a jigged pattern.
With larger gouges designed for the purpose, bone can be "jigged" by using forward pressure, and rocking the wrist back and forth..

It was pretty easy to find this thread about it: viewtopic.php?t=24051

[eveled]

In his Levine’s Guide to Knives
Sorry but he doesn’t elaborate on how the bone was “cut with a grid or pattern of lines”. No discussion or reference to gouged/jigged bone being produced by other than mechanical methods.

Ken

To me that sounds like checking line on a gun stock. It is done with special little files in a grid pattern. That type of file could also be used to gouge out troughs in the bone.

[Mumbleypeg]

In his Levine’s Guide to Knives
Sorry but he doesn’t elaborate on how the bone was “cut with a grid or pattern of lines”. No discussion or reference to gouged/jigged bone being produced by other than mechanical methods.

Ken

To me that sounds like checking line on a gun stock. It is done with special little files in a grid pattern. That type of file could also be used to gouge out troughs in the bone.

I have (or had) a set of those checkering files/tools around here someplace. They work great on wood if you’re patient and careful. Never have tried them on bone. Haven’t seen them in years.

Ken

Ken t

[eveled]

https://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tool ... 41-700-018

This is a set of them. Pictures aren’t great but they are a weird cross between a file and a gouge. I’ve definitely seen checking on bone gun grips before.

[Bill DeShivs]

Checkering files are used on metal. Checkering is done on wood and soft materials with checkering tools specifically designed for that purpose. All checkering tools are designed to cut straight lines, not random gouges.

Here's a picture of a piece of bone that I spent 2 minutes on with hand engraving chisels.

[1967redrider]

Would scratting be similar to checkering then?

[Bill DeShivs]

I don't know, but checkered bone is rare.

[Ozwelder]

Hi Guys,
Here is the link to the tutorial on manually jigging the bone scales with a Dremel tool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrMhWGWe_28

The problem for me is finding that lozenge profile cutter tool.

I have played with using a shaped cheese head screw that I had cut some teeth into. It was OK but too small in diameter.

The disc portion was not a larger diameter ( guessing I need around 3/4" to 1") that would allow me to hold the Dremel parallel with the bench top.

This will allow some finger clearance twixt bench and dremel tool as well as keeping the shape of the groove perpendicular and symetrical relative to the base of the scales.

I can see myself turning such a tool from silver steel in my lathe and heat treating it as I have yet to find a suitable tool to use in my Dremel.
This technique of course is only really suitable to give a random type freehand pattern.

I hope this might help someone.

Ozwelder

[eveled]

I don't know, but checkered bone is rare.

Maybe on knives but it is quite common on gun grips.

[Ozwelder]

Not wishing to appear as a nit picker

BUT

Jigging to me seems to be a random application of a pattern where as checkering is an organised planned and meticulous application of marking on a bone handle or scale.

Ozwelder

[eveled]

Thanks for pointing out the obvious.

We were just discussing what tools can be used to work with bone by hand.

[Reverand]

Ozwelder, I have done a small amount of jigging using a small round ball-burr in a Dremel. These are inexpensive and readily available. I just practiced on some scrap wood at first until I got the hang if it.
I would rather order bone from Culpeppers as doing it by hand is time-consuming, especially dyeing and stabilizing, but it was fun to do.
Ordering bone also gives you a wider variety of jigging styles and colors.
On a side note, are kangaroos a protected species? I was just curious if their femurs would make good knife scales? I see some exotics like camel and giraffe, and it just made me wonder.