warped bone handles

[wiseguy]

Hey guys , i have an old jigged bone handled knife that was pryed open at some point in its life and the liners are bent/bowed and the handles are now following that bow......once i take it apart , is there a way to flatten them bones out again ,,,,, press , clamp them or something ? the handles are reeeal nice and i want to re-use them. Thanks fellas , J

[knives-are-quiet]

Hey guys , i have an old jigged bone handled knife that was pryed open at some point in its life and the liners are bent/bowed and the handles are now following that bow......once i take it apart , is there a way to flatten them bones out again ,,,,, press , clamp them or something ? the handles are reeeal nice and i want to re-use them. Thanks fellas , J

I'm surprised they didn't crack when being bent if that was the case.
Sometimes a lot of rust forms between the scales and the liners and pushes the scales bending them.
First just take the knife apart.
The bone might just flatten back out on it's own.
I myself have never come across this type of problem with bone.
I would think maybe heating them up in hot water to soften them then place them on a flat surface and put something heavy on top and let dry.
I'm sure others will reply with other methods.

POSTING PICTURES OF THE KNIFE WOULD HELP US HELP YOU>
JW~

[wiseguy]

Ya im surprised they arent cracked . glad but surprised ..... i don`t want to mess them up if it is possible straighten em out . Any Help from you guys out there would be nice . J

[orvet]

I have straightened some stag that was warped, but not bone.
I soaked the stag then clamped it to a piece of steel to straighten it and let it dry for 2 or 3 months in the rafters on my shop during summer.

I will have to see if I can find my notes to see what I used to soak it in and for how long I soaked it.
IIRC, the whole process took somewhere between 4 to 6 months. It certainly wasn't a quick process.
I don't know if it will work on bone or not.

[Elvis]

Just straightening the liners and repinning the handles back on might be all you need. Once you get the liners the way you want them, try laying the handle on on the liner and see if light pressure from your fingers (like the pins would do) would put it back into shape. If not, try what the other guys have already mentioned.

[muskrat man]

like has been said, normally after the liner is straightened the handles can be pulled back down with the pins, if this looks to be the case give a 24 hr soak in lemon oil to soften them a bit to reduce the chance of cracking them while pinning, give you a LITTLE leeway for error

[wiseguy]

as for the pins pulling them back .....not all the way but its much better. thanks for posting on this guys