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Hi,

I would like to know if it is possible to use something other than white gas in order to degrease bone in the process of making nuts and saddles from scratch? Is normal gasoline going to work? maybe lacquer thinner? Please let me know if you have an idea because here in Macedonia I don't have the access to Coleman's camping fuel and I am interested in making my own nuts and saddles.

Thanks, Gorjan

Hi Gorjan, I think you can substitute Coleman gas with (Zippo) lighter fluid. If you're going to be de-greasing lots of bone blanks, then going to an automotive paint suppliers and purchasing a tin of Panel-wipe should make it more cost effective. Be aware that this may contain some nasty additives i.e benzene. So minimal skin contact would be advised.

Here's a thought. If you can get fresh bone, before the marrow has begun to spoil, you don't have to de-grease the bone. Grant Goltz has a whole post on it over at Luthiercom.org. Pretty interesting read. He processes all of his bone from fresh cuts. So, if you can find a butcher, or even better a slaughterer, and get some fresh stuff, then maybe you can cut your own from that. you have to cut it in half and get all of the marrow and soft tissue out of the center, then you can go from there. Chemical de-greasing of bone does weaken it. Leg bones would seem to be stronger and more dense.

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Waddy

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Depending on your environment, you could also just leave the bones to naturally dry and bleach themselves by simply leaving them outside. I have a handful of bones on a south-facing windowsill. Birds, bugs, microbes and sun take care of it for me.

I also buy "sterilized" bone from the pet shop whenever I find some; no fuss, no muss, very inexpensive.

Well pet shops aren't carrying cow bones these days, at least at the ones I can find. All they have are processed bone powder matrix that has been pressed into bone shaped molds for dogs to eat, no real bone.

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

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If you have access to lacquer thinner, you should have access to naptha, which is the lighter fluid mentioned by Dreadnuffin.
As far as I know, the white gas (Coleman fuel) is also naptha.
You're most likely getting your lacquer thinner from some type of paint supply outlet; they should also have naptha.

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I had a PM requesting a link to the Luthiercom.org topic on processing fresh bone. Here it is: http://luthiercom.org/phpbb3/viewtopic. ... 6247e346ef

If you aren't a member there, you may have to join, but there is no down side. It's free, and there are no minimum post requirements or anything else. May have to wait for an approval, but, as you are aware, that's to keep the junk off the site.

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Waddy

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Can't you just boil it?

I've made my own nut and saddle blanks from beef bones purchased at the A&P. I followed the same process, but found that the white gas step was superfluous. I think the documentation that I read stated that once the white gas stopped clouding up from soaking the bone, you were done. My own experience was that it never clouded up. My thought is that I boiled the bone so excessively, first with plain water, then with plain dish soap in the water. I changed the water three times. One caveat is that you need a very large pot, and fill it less than halfway. Boling dish soap makes lots of suds!

I had the same experience. I simply got some soup bones, made stock, and then made some really awesome french onion soup. The leftover bones were boiled again in water with some dish soap, and changed a time or two. They ended up completely degreased as far as I could tell.

I might be a good idea to add some borax to the water to break down any residual proteins - hopefully not the bone, but I didn't try this.

Bury the bones in and ant hill for a few months. The ants will eat everything out of the bone leaving it nice and clean.

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http://www.renspets.com/butcher-s-block-bones.html
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I'm not sure if those sellers will ship outside of the US. All beef in Taiwan is imported, and have already been stripped of bones (due to mad cow disease fears). I am not sure if pig bone is acceptable, because it is much more common here.

I get almost an endless supply of bone nut/saddle blanks from Inlaidartist on ebay, they sell it so cheap that it's almost not worth it to process them yourself. However some of them do have flaws... such as one that has a crack all the way through it...

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
http://www.typhoon-guitars.com

If you have a good, steady source for good bone blanks, then it definitely isn't worth the hassle(and smell!) of starting with raw bone. But it is handy to have some bones on hand for those inevitable times when you need a custom size..

Another option for cleaning bones is the beetles used for taxidermy work. If you google it you can find them relatively cheap. They will eat everything except the bones and leave you with a perfectly clean bone.

Just leaving the bones outside, in the open, will accomplish the same, though likely at a slower rate. The birds and bugs and whatnot will find it... I'll have to try the ant hill trick this summer; I have a few dandy ant hills nearby, though I'm typically trying to kill 'em, not feed 'em.. <g>

i have a great supply of fresh cattle bone here, so I only need a metal cutting band saw blade and i'm set thanks everyone for your responses. I'll try Waddy's way first, since it involves no harmful chemicals and will let you know what happened after a mouth or so.

Wood band saw blade works much better.
L.

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Cut to size.....Beat to fit.....Paint to match.

I boil it.

Over here in the States I just go to the butcher section of the local grocery chain and get the biggest leg bone they have. Sometimes they charge me $1.00 other times they don't. I boil the bone whole first to get all the meat off, then I cut it in half and boil it again for the marrow.
After that I soak it overnight in bleach, wash it off the next day and use it as is. Never had to degrease.

Really!

Well hopefully that bone never releases any remaining oils. Cuz nuthin stinks more than dead carcass on a instrument than the oils from the bones of a dead carcass that have penetrated the finish and soaked into the wood. Does take a few years.

Is why bone is degrease in this buisness.

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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Reading this thread the other it occured to me that my next door neighbor is a taxidermist. He prepares skulls for presentation professionally.

I talked to him today. He uses a three step process.

1. He keeps bugs on hand for the first step.
2. Chemical de-greasing.
3. Water/Peroxide boiling.

If anyone wants to know exactly what bugs, chemical for de-greasing, what ratio peroxide/water, or times and temps...I can talk to him again. He was offering to do it for me on his next skull so I wasn't pressing him to explain for the whole process. He would if I asked.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Ya Zlurgh,
me would like to know what kinda bugs.

Traditionally the indigenous peoples bury the bones in an ant hill...but me don't know what type of ants...red, black or ????

thanks

Oh and next time me talking with me Shuar buddies, I'll find out how they shrink heads for you...Its becoming a lost art.

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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Have boiled beef/ lamb bones in plain white vinegar to degrease them, environmentally friendly and cheap