I have a piece of bone(mineralized walrus penis) that a friend wants me to make into scales for a knife handle. The man he bought this from in Alaska told him to mix one part super glue to two parts MINERAL OIL. This didn't seem right to me but I tried it on a small section with inconclusive results. Anyone out there that can give some advice on how to stabilize this old Oosik?
David
That mixture won't STABILIZE it....but the oosik I've got doesn't seem to need anything- its like rock.
Doug Campbell made a bowie with oosik and displayed it here...if you wait til he gets his chores done I'm sure he'll find this and tell you his more extensive experience than I have with it.
If you want it stabilized you'll need a vacuum and some resin to pull into the material using the vacuum pump.
Is your stuff 'punky' looking in the center like a caribou antler?
Ray, this particular Oosik is SUPPOSED to be 300 years old. Not old enough to be hard like rock (no pun intended) but it is sand like, and crumbles easily. I have a vacuum sealer , do you think I can use that to stabilize materials with?
Thanks for the input, it really helps,
David
Check out tip pits thread on cactus juice stabilizing here
So how old does a walruses oosik have to be before it gets hard? :biglaugh: Sorry I couldn't resist!