Nobody Special Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 So, remember a week and a half ago I posted a hideous burn? Well, got back to that sword today, short gladius hispaneus...is....um, spanish gaul style? and got the length done, and a point on it, distal taper, etc, still have the bevels, to width, finish, heat treat, more finish, and the furniture...Which brings us to my question. I've been looking at a LOT of historical gladiuses, and love the look of a bone grip. I read through some of the old forums on them, and I'm still kind of looking for idiot proof instructions.It looks like, and I might be wrong.1. Go to a butcher. Ask for a femur bone or cannon bone.2. Boil the crap out of it. (well, marrow and grease, not crap. But you get the idea.) I'm thinking simmer for two hours with TSP. (and where do you get TSP, hardware store?)3. Paint with cryanoacrylate. aka superglue.4. Grind/cut/etc to shape, probably prior to step 3. Wear a respirator if you have one, as lung lesions suck. Will a dust mask be enough?5. Apply to sword.Any tips? Am I close?Pic of where we're at now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Cochran Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 How long are you wanting the bone? I was just at tractor supply a couple days ago and saw some bone that iirc was small chunks of cow femur in the dog treat section. There were a few different sizes and shapes to choose from. I think some of them could make decent handles and almost bought one just to have on hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Special Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 Thinking the "fit your hand" part should be about four inches long. The usual roman minimalist and seperate pommel and guard seperate, and made of wood. Fit, maybe two part epoxy and peened tang. Lord knows I've got a fair amount of hickory, and there's pecan coming out my ears. Some oak too.The tang know is about 1/2" wide at the base, and a little less than 1/4" at the end. Torn between traditional ribbing, or maybe something more like a roped carving....umm, shoot. How to describe? Ever see the barley twist table that they did on the Woodright's shop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Cochran Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Those bones I mentioned were long enough for that. As far as the barely twist, I did a search and im not too sure what to think. It might look good but you'll have to try it to know for sure how it'd feel in the hand. I'm sure you won't have it cut to the depth everythin was I found in my search so it might not be too bad. Are you gonna do some kind of wrap or just finish the carved wood and bone with a sealer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 I read some where that heat adversy effects the bone (I think it was an artical on viking comes) try a red ant pile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 (edited) Weren't some gladiuses (gladii?) handles wrapped in shark skin for grip?Boiling isn't too hard on bone so long as you don't cook all the collagen out of it, then it becomes brittle. I'm still a fan of thinning epoxy resin with xylene after mixing the hardener. It REALLY penetrates and is about as bullet proof as can be. Super glue is okay and really effective on porous things with a protein component so is probably excellent for bone.Frosty The Lucky. Edited July 25, 2015 by Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 (edited) Lets try this againTSP Bone.txtEdit Tried to post the txt file in the post but kept getting You Dont Have Permission message Edited July 25, 2015 by Dodge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Lets try this againTSP Bone.txtEdit Tried to post the txt file in the post but kept getting You Dont Have Permission message And folk say you just don't get the message. TSP (Tri Sodium Phsphate) Yes? Hardware stores carry it for cleaning wood. Read the warnings, it's potent stuff.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Yep that's the stuff Jerry. I think is main use is in wall paper removal (?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 I only know it as a heavy duty cleaner mostly from reading and watching fix it shows. I used it to clean oil off concrete once and whooEE it worked a treat and safer than phosphoric acid. A very strong base I believe.It's funny how some things pop right up in my memory while others are seemingly forever blank like name. I can associate voices and faces or remember your dog's name but put a person and name together? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Special Posted July 26, 2015 Author Share Posted July 26, 2015 Was planning on a sealer, no wrap. Thinking about the barley twist, may try carving both and see what feels right when it's together.Not really planning to use it as much as keep it around for the inevitable "Can you make a sword?" But still don't want aomething that slips out of your hand easily.Thank ya'll. Sorry for the slow response. Been on a coal train all day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 I suggest carving your proposed designs in basswood and then redoing the one that works best in bone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 I have had good results from using products manufactured by the folks at www.systemthree.comThey have a thin product that is intended to consolidate rot infused wood. Found that it does that well and works, unintentionally, on leather and other porous materials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ezri Rediker Posted October 11, 2015 Share Posted October 11, 2015 I've had good fortune with a construction grade tube silicone(100% only), mineral spirit (to thin the silicone), and corn starch (the more you add the faster it'll dry). It can be colored with an oil base or purchased pre colored; mix will vary depending on the balance of the ingredients. Ensure there is proper ventilation (it will have strong vapor smell until cured), start small and add layers until you get the desired effect (mix a little at a time in a disposable container with a sanded thin piece of wood). It can also cover an existing handle as an example see the photo below. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffrat Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 TSP (Tri Sodium Phsphate) Yes? Hardware stores carry it for cleaning wood. Read the warnings, it's potent stuff.Frosty The Lucky.OK Frosty, I gotta tell you this made me laugh. I mean coming from the guy who two posts earlier said he uses Xylene to thin his epoxy. What the hey, I'm right there with you. Some of my friends talk about how many computers they have in their houses. I laugh and start naming toxic chemicals and flammable gasses I keep in the garage. BTW, thanks for the xylene/epoxy tip. I haven't tried that in the vacuum chamber to stabilize yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 I think it was ThomasPowers who noted elsewhere the lovely polish that can be achieved on bone with sifted wood ashes, a woolen cloth, and some spit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 Well I got it from Theophilus, a German Monk who wrote down a lot of good stuff around 1120 A.D. in a book called Divers Arts (in translation) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Special Posted December 2, 2015 Author Share Posted December 2, 2015 And it's one of the few books that TP recommended that I could casually afford. Theophilus, also known as the redhead or fern eating goat pee quenchant guy. I still haven't handled the darn thing yet. This was the project I burned the living tar out of myself on, and I've barely messed with it since. Maybe I should.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 On 10/27/2015, 7:05:59, cliffrat said: OK Frosty, I gotta tell you this made me laugh. I mean coming from the guy who two posts earlier said he uses Xylene to thin his epoxy. What the hey, I'm right there with you. Some of my friends talk about how many computers they have in their houses. I laugh and start naming toxic chemicals and flammable gasses I keep in the garage. BTW, thanks for the xylene/epoxy tip. I haven't tried that in the vacuum chamber to stabilize yet. I only just got back to this thread Cliff. But yes, I get a chuckle now and then thinking about warning people to NOT do things I used to do as a matter of course. I worked a couple years in a rubber plant in Burbank Ca. and used toluene, toluol, acetone, MEK and xylene daily. I had multiple pump cans w/rags on my bench and the wire machine. I made hot and cold air ducting for aircraft similar to vacuum cleaner hose. The warnings on the drums, yeah 55gl. drums, said don't breath the fumes. Not a word about toxicity, skin absorption, nerve damage, etc. not a word. I got a talking to by the plant foreman because I was talking about what toluol was developed for; Nerve gas during WW1. I've always been one of those guys who looked things up, my bad i know but toluol is the BAD thing in model glue the glue sniffers were after. One thing I didn't do was tell the glue heads they could buy toluol or toluene by the can in almost any hardware or paint store. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 The day I got a big mouthful of denatured alcohol in the art restoration studio was the day I started keeping solvents and tea in different kinds of cup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 15 minutes ago, JHCC said: The day I got a big mouthful of denatured alcohol in the art restoration studio was the day I started keeping solvents and tea in different kinds of cup. Lol. Sorry but can't help it. A guy I work with told me how he drank a mouth full of laqor thinner when he was a kid in his dad's shop because his dad had put it in a coca cola can. Hmm. Is there a lesson here? I came close to taking a drink of some bad stuff once but caught myself in time. I sure won't use a beer bottle for chemicals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 with kinfolk who chew tobacco you learn real fast to NEVER turn loose of your drink and NEVER drink out of any container that has not been in your possession the whole time. (shoot my great grandmother---the one married to a civil war vet---used to dip snuff!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 Oh well better that I got a dissapearing post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Special Posted April 27, 2016 Author Share Posted April 27, 2016 Alright, only been messing with this thing for about a year. I looked in the corner the other day and said hmm, unfinished sword. Why not? I recently switched to using ceramic belts for my main grinding, and it's turned sanding into...well, not a pleasure, but a lot less of a pain for my knives. Heat treated, tempered to 475, maybe a bit soft, but rather sharpen more often than break it. 5160-ish spring, and I've had good results making knives tempered at 425 and 450 with it. All the initial sanding/grinding's done, now to get a pretty, smooth finish and put the furniture and handle on it. Still thinking about bone, but now I'm having doubts as to style. It's way too short for an arming sword (about 21", and 1.5" at the widest.), and pretty light for a gladius (just under a lb, sans handle). Sorta kinda feels like a xiphos, except the wasp waist isn't so pronounced. Meh. And remember, this is my second unfinished sword. I got sick of working on the big one that was going to be a spatha, so... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdaleh Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 Take a look at JPH s bone handles . He has posted some exelent work on this site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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