Bison Thigh Bone Grips (Dan Pursely)

Thai Fighter · March 05, 2009, 07:36:35 PM

Reading Mike Venturino's "Shooting Sixguns of the Old West" and it peaked my interest in bison thigh bone grips (page 185). Google information is sparse, and I don't have any information on Dan Pursely. I don't know if he's in business or even alive anymore. So? Anyone own a set of these, recommend another source, advice, etc?

Thanks.

Digger · March 16, 2009, 05:37:50 PM

Hi,

I don't have any info on the bison bone, but I just had stag grips put on a pair by W. R. Jennings,

http://www.stag-grips.com/

that I'm very pleased with. You might want to look at his page. I picked up a skinner at a local gun/knife show recently with camel bone scales that I was very impressed with. Very dense material. Nice feel. You might google around for that too.

Digger

Thai Fighter · March 16, 2009, 05:40:42 PM

Digger,

Thanks for the suggestion! I'm partial to stag as well, and looks like that might be the way to go as Pursely is a mystery and seems you can only get a hold of him via old fashioned letter (Venturino provides address in book). Thought my post was typed in invisible pixels for awhile there!

Digger · March 16, 2009, 10:12:53 PM

Hi,

Your post set me thinking, then searching the net. You're right, there's not a lot on bison bone. I don't know how big into DIY you are, but I did find a couple of sites that might provide raw materials--so to speak. I found one site, well a couple actually, that sell bison bones for dogs. Bones plenty big enough to cut grips out of. I also found a site for Alaska products that has bone, moose, bison, etc, and fossil targeted to the grip/knife scale market.

http://www.organicbisonbones.com/all_prodmanf.php
http://www.milesofalaska.net/Alaska/Alaska_raw.html

I'm thinking I might order some just to see. I don't know how it's prepped. If it's more than I'm interested in doing, there's always the mutt. She loves bones.

Digger

Thai Fighter · March 16, 2009, 11:00:52 PM

Digger,

I like the price and appreciate the legwork. I'm a wood working hobbyist, but have no idea what you'd need to do to prep bone? Resin impregnation? How dry? Etc.

Digger · March 16, 2009, 11:26:16 PM

Hi,

I don't have any experience either. A quick search of the net and the best I can tell, you remove the meat and the marrow and go to work? I did see a comment somewhere recently about a tendency to shrink as it ages/dries.

Digger

Ten Wolves Fiveshooter · March 16, 2009, 11:53:37 PM

Quote from: Thai Fighter on March 16, 2009, 11:00:52 PM
Digger,

I like the price and appreciate the legwork. I'm a wood working hobbyist, but have no idea what you'd need to do to prep bone? Resin impregnation? How dry? Etc.

Howdy Thai Fighter

If you want to use the femur bone for grips on guns/knives, you need to get the meat off, and then boil the bone, you have to remember the center of the bone contains marrow which needs to come out , the best way to do this is to cut the knuckles off at both ends, then when boiling the marrow will dissolve and come out, after the bone is boiled clean, let it dry, if you don't do this process I just explained, the bone will get rancid. the femur bone is the hardest bone on the animal, next to the atlas bone at the neck, if the bone is large enough you should have no problem using it for a hand gun grip, by boiling it you have taken care of the shrinkage, if you use a shaper or oscillating sander make sure you wear a mask, the dust can be real nasty. Finish like you would hard wood.

tEN wOLVES

Thai Fighter · March 17, 2009, 12:07:41 AM

Thanks all around again. I think what we have here, in my house at least, is an order for one bison femur. I'll boil it down as directed and let it set to dry indefinitely. Meaning at least I'll have the rough scales for my guns ready to go when I get the time. Now where is that 3M respirator...

Forty Rod · March 23, 2009, 05:58:33 PM

If you do that indoors I predict that the lady with you in your avatar will abandon you for something less offensive to the nose ...like a skunk..., or ban you to an open-air lean-to a half mile or more downwind of her diggings.

Curley Cole · March 23, 2009, 08:46:45 PM

I don't have any info on the thigh bone, but thought I would post a pix of my nigh on 30yr old Stags on my Dakota. Paid a whole $25 for them.

And 4Trod is right on, you will be run outta the house...

Curley

Thai Fighter · March 23, 2009, 09:35:15 PM

Wow! I've heard they're bad... just NOT that bad!

Rube Burrows · March 29, 2009, 06:19:00 PM

Im sure Bison Bone would make some nice grips or knife handles.

I have been wanting some Blue Mammoth grips but MAN those things are expensive.

Dirty Brass · April 02, 2009, 08:29:44 AM

I boiled out a bull horn years ago for making a powder horn. Did it in the garage, and was I glad! What an odor! Kids were coming home from school, getting off the school bus 150 yards from where i was, and they immediately held there noses and looked around trying to figure out where that horrendous smell was coming from. We still joke about that today - no one would admit I was their dad!

Do it outside and upwind from anybody you don't like

Digger · April 02, 2009, 12:06:56 PM

Hi,

The stag grips I mentioned. For the keen eyed, the top is a STI Texican and the bottom is a USFA SAA. How to make a pair out of two guns.

Digger

Irish Dave · April 03, 2009, 02:32:34 PM

I made a set of bone grips for a custom Vaquero sheriff's model. Got the material from a knifemaking supplier. It was camel or giraffe bone, he said, but couldn't remember which.

Hardest part about this is finding slabs wide enough and flat enough for revolver grips. It took about 2 1/4" wide for the Vaquero as I recall. The grips turned out great. Super looking and they're starting to take on a nice yellow patina after only a couple years.

I'll try to post a pic if I have one.

Thai Fighter · April 03, 2009, 06:05:56 PM

Irish,

Please do. I'd love to see what they look like.

Irish Dave · April 06, 2009, 01:41:53 PM

Found one:

Mogorilla · May 04, 2009, 12:58:39 PM

Probably camel bone, little to no restriction as they are a domesticated species, Giraffe would probably require an exotics permit or something. Yup, bone will smell some. I have heard not to boil the bones, as it will reduce the strength of the bone. Also, do not use bleach to get them white, same reason. If you get a raw bone, with meat, cut off the knuckles to expose the marrow and bury it for a few months, let mother nature do the work. I bought a big cow bone a few years back at the pet store. Took my 9.5 lb poodle with me, carrying him under one arm and the huge leg bone in the other. Paid for it, the kid looked at the bone, looked at the dog. "Do you have another dog sir?" "Nope, just this one." Kid looked totally confused. Used the bone for various things including a nice powder horn. Hundreds of uses.