It's about the right size and shape to make a version of "Sting" as it was represented in the Hobbit movies.

I would, but one, it would mess up the heat treat to anneal and carve runes, and two, I haven't figured out how to make it glow blue in the presence of orcs.

Got a huge beef soup bone for $23 at Kroger today, and some TSP (posphate free version, but still a degreaser and a base.) It looks like something out of a Flintstone cartoon. I'd feel that it was too much cash, but I could easily make 10 or 20 sword handles out of the darn thing it's so big. Trying to figure out how to slice it up to fit one of my stock pot, and I'm going to simmer it for about three hrs with a few tsps (tblsps?) of tsp tommorow. It's a monster.

The ant bed trick will work but be sure to attach it to a tree or some animal will walk off with it.  I lost an entire sheep skull once that way.  Also, check with local taxidermists because with European Mounts becoming very popular now some are keeping populations of flesh eating beetles to strip bone.  Works very well.

If you keep the bone solid, the wall thickness should be plenty thick for carving.  The only issue you'll have to deal with is the size of the hole in the middle and it being far too large for the tang.  Epoxy weighs a ton and you don't want too much of it in there being used as a filler material.

I've had good luck glueing slabs of softwood around the tang and then trimming them to fit into the bone.  You can also use balls of tin foil crammed down around the tang; they take up the space but will lock to each other so you can still pull the tang out to apply your epoxy.  I do like the tin foil method....

Or saw slabs from the bone to use as scales and avoid the void of the marrow cavity. You can do a hidden tang pretty easily.

Vaughn, have you had any issues with electrolysis using the foil balls? I suppose a person could use resin bonded styrofoam to fill the void.

Frosty The Lucky.

I planned on a through tang and peening, possibly epoxying two slabs together. Still thinking about the guard and pommel.

Giving up on the barley carving, I think "keep it simple, stupid" is a better idea for a first one. Either a variation on rounded rectangle with mld tapers, or add the finger ridges.  Planning to dye it with tea or tobacco, then stabilize, maybe a dark stain on the other pieces for contrast. Here's pics of the bone before and after the TSP boil. (did it outside, btw)