Potential issues with White Smooth Bone

One of my favorite handle materials to collect is White Smooth Bone. However, if you're not careful with White Smooth Bone (sometimes called Natural Bone or Natural Smooth Bone) there can be potential issues over time.
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[@JoseGonzalez-yx6vm]

Natural materials even with their flaws are still nice to see, thanks for the info, Tobias.

[@propblast82nd]

Living in the high desert Southwest I give all my natural material handles an occasional wipe down with mineral oil. It’s a must for stacked leather fixed blades

[@paulf2529]

A thought-provoking video, Tobias. For me, staining equals patina and doesn't bother me.

[@Pocket_EDC]

Great information. Thanks, Tobias.

[@Stans_Collectors_Universe]

Great info, I had never thought of the oil seeping into the bone. Thanks for sharing and God bless.

[@artawhirler]

This was very useful and interesting! I have several white bone folders from Rough Ryder and they're beautiful! I have never oiled any of them because I never thought they needed it, and now I will know not to oil them in the future! Thanks for saving my beautiful white handles from getting all stained!

[@IanRosie-mx6rn]

The marks on my antique smooth bone suddenly made sense. Thanks Tobias. I love learning new things 👍.

[@hillbillyridgeoutdoors]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing!

[@flitdek]

Thank you Tobias for addressing this issue. Since dealing with oil staining on my white smooth bone Rough Ryder knives, I have been buffing all my Bone handle knives with Carnauba wax in an attempt to seal up the pours of the Bone and any gapping between the Brass liners and the bone. I am also going to start using a Pen oiler . Thank you again for all your help.

[@alexporter3499]

Tobias I’ve encountered this exactly same thing and have found something that helps. If you wrap (or pack) the knife in a very dry paper, like tissue paper, immediately after you see the oil spots form it can help remove the staining. I usually leave them in the paper for a couple days and almost always see a difference Another pretty major issue you see with porous white smooth bone is one I encounter frequently when applying ink for scrimshaw: If you thin the ink in any way or try to clean the excess ink with water, the bone will almost always stain. You’ll actually see the pours in the grain of the bone fill with the thinned ink. That’s why it’s so important to clean the ink off the bone with steel wool or sandpaper when doing scrimshaw

[@KnifeChatswithTobias]

Thanks for the tip!

[@kathleensmith370]

Great info- thanks for sharing

[@davidkurle5418]

Thanks for the great tip, buddy! Cheers!

[@johnelder4273]

Thanks Tobias, I may have to try staining the white smooth bone with tea trick. My only white smooth bone knives are made by Marble and they just look "a little too new". If I mess them up I'm only out a few bucks and I love little projects with knives, especially cleaning up old rusty/stained knives.

[@dougwatkins5441]

I think it gives it a vintage look that I like but everyone is different. But I've done the tea and even black coffee and i like the ones that stain around the brass just as well.Just my 2 cents lol. Thanks for sharing Tobias

[@danedwards8535]

I picked up the nolichucky Jack from Rosecraft at the recent Blade show in Atlanta. It was truly a beautiful moss green color. As always, I put it in a mineral oil bath for about an hour when I got it back home and the back side is now black, and the shield side is very very dark green/black. Like a subscriber said it’s not a crown jewel it’s a tool whose purpose has not been affected, but the original beautiful color is GONE . Thanks for a most enlightening video !!!

[@KnifeChatswithTobias]

It is a sad fact that too often companies are churning out products that look great on the show room floor but lack longevity.

[@phillipw58]

Great video! Very interesting!

[@KnifeChatswithTobias]

Thanks. Unfortunately not all white smooth bone is alike. What's more, I think the quality of white smooth bone among some name brands waxes and wains over the years. Few companies, are clear on what bone from the steer is being used. A rib bone or hip bone is not going to be as dense as shin bone. For the most part I think Rough Ryder does a really good job with bone. I even think they do a slightly better job than Frost . However, the quality of Rough Ryder Bone isn't nearly as good as Case. Again, just my opinion.

[@RandysWSG]

Great video Tobias. I kind like it when tje pins leave that pretty blue/green color/

[@KnifeChatswithTobias]

Its not stains, its character. LOL

[@thevineclimber]

Very interesting

[@KnifeChatswithTobias]

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it! So often knife nuts are all about the blade steel and just assume that all the other materials are the same grade. Same quality of plastic, bone, stag, micarta, etc.

[@hleeky]

i definitely noticed this and really appreciate your chat about it. i just go ahead and oil it up. i figured that that is better than having bone that dries up and becomes brittle.

[@KnifeChatswithTobias]

Thanks. I wonder if vinegar will remove the staining. I might have to give it a go.

[@beaurex4756]

​@KnifeChatswithTobias I'd suggest rubbing alcohol, instead.

[@ericstarr9399]

If anyone knows about white smooth bone, it would be you! Thanks for sharing the information! You mentioned using tea to color the bone. I have worked with cattle bone a bit while making beads for knife lanyards. I have done that same tea method. I have also had luck soaking the bone in wood stain for a few minutes.

[@KnifeChatswithTobias]

I have not used wood stain. I bet that would work much faster than tea!

[@DonKachot]

Great discussion, Tobias - thank you 👍Further regarding the oils to use with bone handles and brass components like pins and liners: from bad experience beware that Balistol does not prevent the greenish patina forming on brass and that greenish colour is drawn into the bone when the oil seeps in! I believe the ordinary clear mineral oil is better in this respect.

[@rasputinscastle]

Good info. Thanks Tobias ☺️

[@KnifeChatswithTobias]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@felinebline7154]

That's it I'm donating my shin bone 🦴

[@richardmcginnis5344]

I don't know if it was this channel I heard it on or another knife channel but the idea of the trench knife comes from the thick leather trench coats worn by German servicemen. The knife had to be sharp enough a d pointed enough to go through the "trench"

[@KnifeChatswithTobias]

It wasn't here. My thought has been the name came into use during WWI and referred to any variety of knife used in trench raids. But Now I need to do some investigating.

[@tomweingart2337]

This staining is to be expected for a maintaned bone knife. They're tools not the Crown Jewels of the British Royalty ‼️🤣

[@paulf2529]

Agree, it just becomes a patina of age.

[@swamp.stomper]

Ok that’s really interesting. Would the staining be the same if the pins were a stainless metal, or is it darker from the brass oxide do you think? Thanks for bringing up the cause of this. I didn’t know about it

[@triumphant39]

I own a Gec #74 mustang in white bone, and a #22 magnum in ivory bone, and I can assure you they both have greening from verdigris, other coloration from use/oil. It might be hard to tell, as most people keep gecs as safe queens, but as most of the blades are 1095 carbon steel, the knives age much more rustically than case or rough rider knives. Yea that includes case cv knives, I’m not metallurgist, but gec’s 1095 is much more reactive and prone to patina, and I’m sure that gives some staining and color to my white bone handled ones as well.

[@KnifeChatswithTobias]

I would think that 1095 would also patina more easily. the CV is chrome vanadium and it does add a small amount of rust resistance and strength to the carbon steel.

[@bigG485]

Its all character makes it look Cool nothing wrong with this just the way it is no need for people to frett about it awesome vid brother keep up the great channel see ya soon 🇺🇲😎🙏

[@KnifeChatswithTobias]

Very well said. Thanks for dropping by and thanks for the comment!

[@decal1751]

Nice 😊

[@KnifeChatswithTobias]

Glad you liked it. Thanks for dropping by!

[@Jimthechevywheelman]

Ok for us nickel, and dimers out there. With white plastic handles ( old USA schrade 20 plus year old ) . Any good cleaning solution for those knives ? Thanks !

[@jeffjackson5331]

Interesting

[@richardmcginnis5344]

On the subject at hand oiling the smooth white bone barlow from case and rough rider smooth white bone barlow I have oiled both because They arrived a little bit stiff and haven't seen any kind of staining on either one

[@KnifeChatswithTobias]

I do not have any Case "Natural bone" My experience with Rough Ryder has been mixed.

[@mugsofmirth8101]

You're definitely right about Chinese made! The quality is just not up to par!

[@KnifeChatswithTobias]

Sometimes yes and sometimes no. That goes for every nation. It depends on the standards set by the knife manufacturer.

[@MrPsiman]

just another reason why Alox is awesome but Water Buffalo Horn is probably my favorite covers but you still need to mineral oil them occasionally just like wood or bone. I do love my maintenance free Alox 93mm stuff. The Alox Harvester/Swiss Army 7 is on slae around the web for $40-ish and it's the best deal on Alox stuff and it won't last long and I am wondering if Victorinox is going to discontinue it because I have seen this before when they get ready to get rid of something , the price is dropped. All Alox have jumped in price majorly the last 2 years and this is probably the last time to get a 93mm Alox at this kind of price

[@KnifeChatswithTobias]

Even an Alox SAK will need to occasionally get some oil in the joints and if it has a anodized color t is go show its age over time. But even then they have a certain charm!

[@madtownangler]

So does this happen from just rubbing you knives with your hands or is this from oiling the knives?

[@KnifeChatswithTobias]

The bone will age just from normal carry. And it also can stain from oiling. So the answer is both!

[@jamesluther3506]

What about bone knives made in solingen Germany? Hubertus?😊

[@KnifeChatswithTobias]

It really depends on where they source the bone from and their quality control. And that might change over time.

[@mikeadams2538]

Source for “Mineral Oil”????

[@KnifeChatswithTobias]

Just about any hardware or home improvement store. Even many grocery stores and dollars store. Look for "Food Grade Mineral Oil" Johnson "Baby Oil" is also a mineral oil but it is not food grade. Still it is better than 3n1 as it is a lighter oil.